Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, announced today that brothers, Fuquan Knight, 28, and Shaquan Knight, 20, both of East Orange have been sentenced by the Honorable Siobhan Teare, Judge of the Superior Court, after being convicted of first-degree robbery and second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery.
Shaquan Knight was sentenced to 11 years. His brother, Fuquan Knight, who was also convicted of third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, was sentenced to 16 years.
Both must serve 85 percent of their sentence before they are eligible for parole, according to Assistant Prosecutor Sean D. Dickson who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Brian Olsen.
“These sentences are appropriate given the fact that these defendants brazenly and recklessly robbed a man at gunpoint and knifepoint in broad daylight after he left a local deli,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Dickson.
The robbery occurred on Oct. 11, 2018. At approximately 11:45 a.m. East Orange officers were dispatched to the area of Central Avenue and Halsted Street on report of a robbery. The male robbery victim said he has been robbed by three individuals behind 520 Central Avenue.
The victim was in line at a deli when he observed the first suspect. After finishing at the store, the victim left and walked around the corner to Halsted Street when he felt someone grab him from behind and force him into a corner in the rear of the building. He then observed two more suspects – one with a knife and the other with a shotgun or rifle. They took $560 in cash, a debit card, a Social Security card, and ID card. Afterwards, the three suspects fled.
The victim was immediately able to identify Fuquan Knight and Shaquan Knight. A few days later, he identified the third suspect, Kyler Knight, the defendants’ father.
“Thanks to the hard work of the East Orange Police Department, the defendants were quickly apprehended,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Olsen.
Shaquan Knight has one prior conviction. Fuquan Knight has three prior convictions.
The father, Kyler Knight, fled the state and was arrested in Virginia for robbery, where he remains. Those charges against Knight are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they enter a guilty plea or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
