Essex County Jury Convicts Newark Man of Vehicular Homicide

Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, announced today that an Essex County jury has convicted Najeeh Green, 30, of vehicular homicide and other charges in connection with the death of Priscilla Godoy, a 29-year-old Newark mother.

On May 5, 2018, Green was involved a crime spree that resulted in a man being shot in Newark, a woman being carjacked at gunpoint in East Orange as she unloaded packages from her car and ultimately the death of Godoy.

Godoy’s skull was crushed when she was pinned between two park cars on South 14th Street around 11:44 pm as she tried to avoid the fleeing stolen Jeep Cherokee. She was rushed to University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Following a nine-day trial before the Honorable Michael L. Ravin, Judge of the Superior Court, an Essex County jury returned a verdict yesterday morning finding Green guilty of all 11 counts. In addition to felony murder, vehicular homicide, and manslaughter while fleeing police, the jury also found him guilty of aggravated assault on the shooting victim, carjacking of the woman in Newark, conspiracy to commit carjacking and aggravated assault and multiple weapons offenses.

Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, June 13, before Judge Ravin.

The defendant, who has three prior felony convictions, faces life in prison.

“The defendant victimized three families. Because of the courage of those who survived, we were able to bring justice to the Godoy family as well as those who were carjacked and shot,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Jason Goldberg who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Brian Olsen.

Prosecutor Stephens lauded all those involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case. In addition to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Special Prosecutions Unit and the Crash and Fire Unit, he also commended the Newark Police Department and the East Orange Police Department.

The sentence was imposed by the Honorable Ronald D. Wigler, the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division. In December, Palomo pled guilty to vehicular homicide. Under the No Early Release Act, Palomo must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

On March 17, 2019 at approximately 6:39 p.m. McCauley was struck from behind by a white pick-up truck while his car was stopped at a red light on the exit ramp of I-280 and First Street in Newark. McCauley sustained serious injuries and on March 23 he died from those injuries.

Palomo, the driver of the white pick-up truck that struck McCauley, fled the scene, according to Assistant Prosecutor Brian Pollock. He was quickly apprehended. The investigation revealed that Palomo was traveling at a high rate of speed and driving under the influence of alcohol, Prosecutor Pollock said.

“Defendant’s decision to drive after drinking prematurely ended the very promising life of a vibrant and altruistic 19-year-old man and caused unfathomable pain to those that loved him. If the deterrent effect of defendant’s long prison term spares just one family the same pain suffered by Jaleel McCauley’s family, then it will be justified,” said Assistant Prosecutor Pollock.

Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, announced today that Taquan Harris, 24, and Nafee Cotman, 21, pled guilty yesterday in connection with the May 2, 2016 robbery murder of Joseph Micalizzi, 23, of Freehold.

With opening arguments scheduled to begin yesterday, Harris admitted to fatally shooting Micalizzi. Cotman admitted to participating in the robbery.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Harris of Newark is expected to be sentenced to 26 years in New Jersey State Prison. Cotman, an Irvington resident, is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison. In both cases, the men will have to serve 85 percent of their respective sentences before they are eligible for parole.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 27 before the Honorable Ronald D. Wigler, the Presiding Criminal Division Judge, who accepted the guilty pleas.

In court yesterday, Harris and Cotman admitted entering the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and climbing the steps to the third-floor bedroom with a plan to rob the occupants.

Harris admitted bringing a loaded revolver to the fraternity house and shooting Micalizzi three times. One of the shots was fatal.

Assistant Prosecutor Eric Plant, who is handling the case, said, “When parents send children off to college their hope is that their children will be safe while they pursue their education. That hope was shattered for the Micalizzi family on May 2, 2016. While nothing can give them back their beloved son, we believe these guilty pleas are a fair resolution of the case and hope that it brings them some sense of the justice that they were seeking.’’

Newark — Acting Essex Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, announced today that Mutah Brown, 21, of Newark has been sentenced to 23 years in New Jersey State Prison after being convicted of aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide for causing the death of 18-year-old Quadir K. Jackson, also of Newark.
Jackson was killed in a motor crash that occurred when Brown, Jackson and Kevon Anderson, 22, fled from police in a carjacked Mercedes Benz, according to Assistant Prosecutor Brian Pollock, who tried the case.

“This sentence sends the message that putting citizens at risk by running from the police is never acceptable. On the day of the crime, Quadir Jackson paid for the defendant’s criminal actions with his life. Now, the defendant himself was finally held accountable,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Pollock.

On May 6, 2017 Jackson carjacked a Mercedes Benz from a driver on Martin Luther King Boulevard at approximately 6 pm. The car was later spotted by officers from the Newark Police Department. The officers attempted to pull over the car but Brown, who was driving the vehicle, fled.

In the area of 16th and South 10th, Brown loss control of the car. When the car crashed, Jackson, who was the backseat passenger, was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries. The two others – Brown and Anderson – tried to run but were caught by law enforcement.
In June an Essex County jury convicted Brown of vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter.

On Friday, Oct. 5, the Honorable Marysol Rosero, Judge of the Superior Court, who presided over the trial, sentenced Brown to an aggregate sentence of 23 years.

Judge Rosero sentenced him to 15 years for aggravated manslaughter. Under the No Early Release Act, Brown must serve 85 percent of the 15-year sentence before he is eligible for parole. She also sentenced him to a consecutive seven-year sentence for leaving the scene of an accident involving a fatality.

Brown could have been sentenced to up to 30 years. Assistant Prosecutor Pollock argued for 25 years.

Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that Miguel Williams, 35, of East Orange pleaded guilty before the Honorable Marysol Rosero, Judge of Superior Court, to first degree aggravated manslaughter and weapons charges for fatally shooting Kwame Yeboah, 30, of East Orange.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Williams is expected to be sentenced to 25 years in state prison. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. When he is paroled, he will have an additional five years of parole supervision, according to Assistant Prosecutor Austin Edwards, who handled the case.

On Feb. 9, 2015, Yeboah was sitting in a car with a friend in the 200 block of North 9th Street in Newark. Around 10:30 p.m., Williams approached the vehicle and shot Yeboah multiple times. The driver of the car, a female, was critically injured but survived. The motive for the shooting was not clear, however Williams and Yeboah had known each other for many years.

Today, jury selection was almost completed and lawyers were expecting to open this afternoon when Williams decided to enter his guilty plea. Sentencing is scheduled for April 20. Williams has four prior felony convictions, including two gun offenses and two drug distribution offenses.

Assistant Prosecutor Edwards said, “While nothing can truly make amends for the senseless actions of the defendant, we hope that this resolution brings closure and a sense of justice for the family of Mr. Yeboah and the surviving victim. This result would not have been possible without the hard work of the detectives in this case and the willingness of people in the community to come forward with information about this tragic shooting.”

Under the terms of the plea agreement Robinson must serve 18 years before he is eligible for parole. After parole, he must remain on parole supervision for five more years, according to Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab who was preparing to begin jury selection in the case when Robinson decided to plea.

On Sept. 5, 2014 Gibson was shot and killed outside of his Rhode Island Avenue home during an attempted robbery.

“This was truly a senseless act of violence because the victim did not have any money or items of value on him at the time,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Edwab. “The defendant already had a cellphone and wallet that belong to a woman Gibson was talking to at the time but Gibson had nothing.’’

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15 before the Honorable James Donohue, Judge of the Superior Court. Judge Donohue took the plea today.

In addition to the homicide, Robinson also pled guilty to a weapons offense. The gun used in the fatal shooting was a ballistic match when he was arrested on Sept. 10, 2014 and charged with unlawful possession of a gun.

Following a trial before the Honorable Siobhan Teare, Judge of the Superior Court, Williamson was convicted today of aggravated manslaughter, a first-degree crime which carries a sentence of 10 to 30 years. He was also convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Williamson shot the victim, Amera Bell, 35, also of Newark eleven times with a 9 mm Ruger handgun. At least five of those gunshots struck Bell. The shooting took place on May 5, 2014 outside of 84 North Munn Avenue, Bell’s residence.

One of the bullets severed Bell’s spine, leaving her a quadriplegic, paralyzed below her neck. Bell lived in a hospital bed for 11 months but ultimately died on April 7, 2015 as a result of complications from the gunshot wounds.

Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, who tried the case, said, “Justice was served in this case. The defendant’s actions not only took the life of Ms. Bell, but victimized her loving family, who attended to her needs during her 11 months of hospitalization.  This verdict is a direct result of the tireless investigative efforts of the Newark Police Department, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and witnesses who came forward to see that justice was done. Hopefully, the verdict brings some measure of solace to the Bell family.’’

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1.

Previously, Williamson pled guilty in an unrelated case to unlawful possession of a handgun. That incident also occurred in Newark. He is expected to be sentenced for that offense at the same time he is sentenced for the homicide. Under the terms of the plea agreement he is expected to be sentenced to 42 months in New Jersey State Prison with a 42-month period of parole ineligibility for that offense which occurred approximately eight months before the shooting of Bell.

Jury Convicts Man of Killing Three at Irvington Strip Club

 Newark — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that an Essex County jury has convicted Anthony Fields, 22, of Newark of killing three people and wounding two others on Christmas Day 2013 at Slick’s, an Irvington go go bar located at Nye Avenue and 21^st Street.

Following a trial before the Honorable Martin G. Cronin, Judge of the Superior Court, the jury convicted Fields of murdering Woodley Daniel, 32, the bouncer at the club. Fields was also convicted of aggravated manslaughter for killing Pierre Clervoyant, 34, the son of the club’s owner and a manager at the club, and aggravated manslaughter for killing Mushir Cureton, 27.

According to Assistant Prosecutor Purva Deshpande, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Austin Edwards, Fields opened fire on the bouncer and other employees and patrons of the club, including Clervoyant and Cureton, outside the club at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Christmas Day in 2013. Clervoyant, Cureton, and other patrons of the club had just exited the club after a disturbance at the door.

In addition to convicting Fields of the homicide counts, he was also found guilty of aggravated assault on two other patrons – a 34 year old man and a 27 year old man — who were shot but survived. Fields also was found guilty of weapons offenses.

Following the shootings Fields fled the state. He was arrested on Jan. 12 in Florida at his mother’s home.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2017. Fields faces life in prison.

Irvington Mother Sentenced to 45 Years for Starving Daughter to Death

 Two other children were starved

 Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that the Honorable Michael L. Ravin, Judge of the Superior Court, sentenced Krisla Rezierkyson Kris, also known as Venette Ovilde, to 45 years in New Jersey state prison yesterday for starving her three children, causing the death of one, in May of 2011.

Rezierkyson Kris, 34, of Irvington was found guilty on March 22, of aggravated manslaughter for killing her 8- year old daughter, Christiana Glenn.

Yesterday, Judge Ravin sentenced her to 25 years for aggravated manslaughter. Under the No Early Release Act, Rezierkyson Kris must serve 21 years, three months and a day in state prison for the aggravated manslaughter before she is eligible for parole. She was also sentenced to two 10-year sentences for two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The child died from starvation and the mother’s failure to seek medical treatment for a broken femur bone, the largest bone in the leg. Instead, the mother poured salt and gasoline in the wound and covered it with cornmeal.

In addition to aggravated manslaughter, the mother was also convicted of numerous other charges, including multiple counts of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and conspiracy. In addition to the child who died, Rezierkyson Kris was found guilty of starving and abusing the two surviving children, a 6-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, who were discovered by homicide detectives behind a boarded wall so malnourished they could no longer walk or hold their heads up. They too suffered multiple broken bones from beatings.

At trial, the surviving girl testified the children were locked in a room from morning until night with just a bowl of water mixed with a white paste and ordered not to drink from it until 12 noon. They were tied to a radiator and at times forced to kneel on metal oven grates with objects on their heads.

Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Simonetti, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Lyons-Boswick, said, “We believe this was a just outcome given the abuse and neglect these children endured over three years at the hands of their mother.’’

Charges are still pending against Myriam Janvier, 29, who also lived in the Irvington apartment. She is expected to be tried separately. Simonetti said no date has been set yet for her trial.

Jury Convicts Woman of Reckless Manslaughter in Super Bowl Sunday Killing

 Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that an Essex County jury has convicted Amber Brooks, 21, of Newark of reckless manslaughter for fatally shooting Michael Brown, 49, of Newark.

Following a three week trial before the Honorable Carolyn Wright, Judge of the Superior Court, the jury convicted of Brooks of reckless manslaughter, unlawful possession of a weapon and aggravated assault by pointing a fire arm.

Assistant Prosecutor Roger Imhof, who handled the case, said, Brooks faces five to 10 years when she is sentenced on March 18.

“As always the state respects the jury’s verdict,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Imhof. “This case is an example of too many illegal firearms getting in the hands of young people who revert to the use of guns to resolve minor disputes. Mr. Brown was a completely innocent bystander who was simply patronizing a city eatery when he was shot and killed by the defendant.’’

Brooks shot Brown on Feb. 3, 2013, Super Bowl Sunday, as he walked along Elizabeth Avenue in Newark at approximately 8:15 p.m. The shooting occurred during an argument between Brooks and another woman. That woman accused Brooks of breaking into her apartment.