Man accused of killing 2 men during Trenton crime spree rejects plea deal
A man accused of murdering two men during a crime spree rejected a plea deal on Friday.
Randy Kareem Washington is set to face trial in June for the murder of 64-year-old Silas Johnson. It is alleged that Washington was gunned down Johnson near the intersection of Market Street and the Route 1 overpass on the morning of Oct. 29, 2014.
Randy Kareem Washington
The terms of the plea deal offered to 35-year-old Randy Washington would have him serving 30 years on each of the murders. Those sentences would run consecutively for a 60 year prison sentence. Friday’s rejection could set Washington up for a life sentence if convicted.
Washington is accused in a litany of offenses that occurred from July to October of 2014. Included in those offenses is the Oct. 29 slaying of Silas Johnson and the July 30 shooting death of George Jamison, 43. He is also facing charges in five robberies that occurred in the city during the crime spree.
On Friday Assistant Prosecutor Stacey Geurds outlined some of the evidence that will be presented at trial including text messages from Washington to his girlfriend, eyewitness testimony and a bloody sweatshirt found at Silas Johnson murder scene. In 2014 Geurds referred to Washington as a “terror” and cited his criminal record indicating five prior convictions, including ones for second-degree aggravated assault and making threats of violence, prosecutors said.
His current attorney Diane Lyons said at Friday’s hearing she intended to file suppression motions with regard to a warrantless search, and a search where a warrant was obtained in a bid to exclude evidence at trial.
Jury selection is set to begin on June 6.
