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Essex County Prosecutor's Office
Serving the People of Essex County, NJ
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By Robert Florida Newark – Thirty-seven years after discovering a dead baby, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office seeks the public’s help in identifying the newborn, who was found abandoned in South Orange a day after Thanksgiving. On the morning of November 28, 1986, sanitation workers found the baby atop a trash can behind an apartment…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II announced that Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller received the Outstanding Victim Advocacy in a Single Case award from the New Jersey County Prosecutors Association (CPANJ). During CPANJ’s recent conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin presented the award to Miller,…
By Robert Florida Superior Court Presiding Judge Mark S. Ali sentenced James Height to life in prison for fatally shooting Renown Wilson, 55, of Orange, N.J. Back on August 9, 2023, a jury found Height, 54, guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree unlawful possession of a gun, and second-degree possession of a gun for an…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II and Belleville Chief of Police Mark Minichini announced today that Scott Hurring, 43, of Belleville, has been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of Erica Voloshin, 37, of Nutley. On October 1, at 10:24 a.m., Belleville police were notified of a shooting on…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II announced that Matthew Swajkowski, 36, of Verona, was taken into custody on September 22 and charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, among other charges. Swajkowski was employed as a teacher at Verona High School, where he oversaw the school’s…
By Robert Florida Two ECPO prosecutors and the Narcotics Task Force have been honored for excellence by three organizations that advocate for effective law enforcement. Child Advocacy Partner of the Year Nicole Buermann, an Assistant Prosecutor in the Special Victim’s Unit, was recognized by VidaNyx for outstanding work prosecuting child sexual abusers. VidaNyx, which designs…
By Robert Florida Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II announced that Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler sentenced Essex County Jail inmate Byad Lockett to 20 years in state prison for attempting to murder inmate Jayshawn Boyd by brutally beating him with a microwave oven and other items. Under the No Early Release…
By Robert Florida This summer, more than 30 interns worked in various units of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, such as the appellate division, the adult trial team, and the homicide unit. The interns, a combination of undergraduates and law students, helped prosecutors write legal briefs and motions and had a chance to watch major…
Acting Prosecutor Stephens offers the following comments on the life and legacy of the late Lieutenant Governor: “I met the Lieutenant Governor in the 1990s. She was born in Newark but moved to East Orange, where I’ve lived most of my life. We first met when Mayor Cardell Cooper appointed Sheila to the East Orange…
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II and Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé announced that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the fatal shooting of Eddie Boykins, 52, of Newark. On July 27, at 6:11 p.m., police were notified of a shooting on the 300 block of Wainwright…
