Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today an Essex County grand jury indicted Amir Johnson, 18, for the murder of Luz Hernandez, a 69-year-old Orange grandmother.
A five-count indictment returned today charges Johnson with the Oct. 22, 2010 murder of Ms. Hernandez. He was also indicted on felony murder, burglary, robbery and receiving stolen property charges.
If convicted of all the charges, Johnson would face life in prison.
Johnson entered Ms. Hernandez’s Flagg Street home in Orange and stole a television, a gun, and a cell phone. It is believed Johnson encountered Ms. Hernandez and killed her on the afternoon of Oct. 22, 2010 by asphyxiation. Johnson, who fled the state, was arrested in a bus depot in Norfolk, Virginia.
These are accusations. All defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
