Homicide Watch Trenton

The numbers in this report are pulled from Homicide Watch Trenton’s database, unless otherwise noted. For more information, use the sorting features of the victims and suspects databases, or explore the map.

In 2015, the city experienced 19 homicides, which includes the deaths of John Covington and Tina Anderson, whom both were killed via automobile accidents that were later determined to be vehicular homicides.

According to the New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit, vehicular homicides are considered manslaughter and are not reported as a homicide statistic. Therefore, New Jersey State Police will report Trenton’s official homicide number as 17. The Trentonian, however, includes vehicular homicides in its yearly homicide count.

June was the deadliest month with five people killed. On two different dates, two people died from injuries suffered in separate incidents: June 24 and Sept. 24. There was a seven-day period in which four people were killed. There were no homicides during the months of August, October and December.

Eighteen victims were male, one was female.

Seven homicides occurred in the North Ward, more than any other ward. The West Ward experienced six killings.

Six victims were in their 20s at the time of their death, and six victims in their 40s were killed in 2015 as well.

The oldest victim was 72-year-old city activist James Wells, who died 11 days after being robbed and beaten on East Hanover Street. The youngest was 16-year-old Jah’vae Minney, who was gunned down near the corner of Prospect Street and Bellevue Avenue.

Eighteen victims were black, and one was Hispanic: 48-year-old Alberto Moya-Cuevas, from Mexico, who died in an arson fire on Elmer Street.

Shootings killed 12 people in the capital city, more than any other homicide method. Three people were stabbed to death.

Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, 16 died at the hospital.

Nine suspects were arrested in connection with homicides that occurred in 2015; two of them are female.

The majority of incidents happened between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Four killings occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Using 2014 census data, and the 17 homicides that state police will officially report to the FBI, Trenton’s 2015 murder rate is 20.22 homicides per 100,000 residents.