Superseding indictment charges new man in 2014 Trenton murder

The state is suddenly prosecuting a new co-defendant in connection with the 2014 murder of 20-year-old Enrico Smalley Jr. South Woods State Prison inmate Alvie Vereen, 27, has been charged with accomplice liability murder and weapons offenses under a superseding indictment that also charged co-defendant Shaheed Brown as an accomplice in the four-year-old Trenton homicide … Read more →

Shaheed Brown’s third murder trial ends with hung jury

Alleged killer Shaheed Brown remains in legal limbo following another mistrial. Brown’s third murder trial ended Thursday with a hung jury, prompting his defense attorney to file a motion seeking to get the indictment dismissed. Brown, 34, of Trenton, is accused of shooting and killing 20-year-old Enrico Smalley Jr. about 1:20 a.m. July 12, 2014. … Read more →

Urging dismissal, attorney for Newark gang member says third trial ‘destined’ for mistrial

Convicting accused killer Shaheed Brown has become a family affair. Meanwhile, the former Newark gang member continues to fight for his freedom in a case that has plagued Mercer County prosecutors who haven’t convinced juries in two trials six months apart that Brown gunned down 20-year-old Enrico Smalley Jr. outside a crime-ridden Trenton bar in … Read more →

No success in murder trials could impact nomination of Mercer County prosecutor

Shaheed Brown is shaping up to be the new “Boom Bat” of Mercer County. Brown’s murder case has drawn comparisons to convicted murderer and Latin Kings leader Jose “Boom Bat” Negrete because of the difficulties prosecutors have had trying the cases. It has also shined a bright light on a spate of mistrials and acquittals … Read more →

Hung again: Shaheed Brown jury can’t reach decision for second time

Enrico Smalley Jr’s brother crumpled on a bench outside of the courtroom, unable to hold back bloodcurdling shrieks that echoed through the hallways of Mercer County criminal court. That was hours before the second trial of former Newark gang member Shaheed Brown ended in mistrial for the second time in six months. Smalley’s family spent … Read more →

Second juror ‘vanishes,’ false start on second mistrial for Shaheed Brown

A juror “vanished” into thin air and was replaced Thursday by an alternate in the second murder trial of former Newark gang member Shaheed Brown. The woman, Juror No. 8, was the second juror to be dismissed in the retrial of Brown, who is accused of gunning down Enrico Smalley Jr. outside of La Guira … Read more →

Trenton man at center of defense was arrested with Shaheed Brown in 2014

When a former Newark gang member befriended a city man, the last thing he could have envisioned was being the individual a defense attorney would accuse of pulling off what a prosecutor described this week as the brutal assassination of a Ewing man. But that is the position Alvie Vereen is in, testing the strength … Read more →

Prosecutor at Shaheed Brown retrial: ‘This was an assassination’

Edward Heyburn thinks he got it right when he said another man killed a Ewing man outside a Trenton bar. In his closing arguments Tuesday, the defense attorney slammed the Mercer County Homicide Task Force, a special team of investigators formed in 2013 to combat job cutbacks, for its Descartian logic in fingering former Newark … Read more →

City man with ties to notorious family testifies in Shaheed Brown retrial

A city man with ties to a notorious Trenton family said Monday he was headed to a weed-filled lot to relieve himself when a Ewing man was gunned down outside a troubled city bar. Wearing a green prison jumpsuit, his hands shackled in front of him and his hair in tight cornrows that exposed parts … Read more →

An attorney for a Trenton man on trial for murder said a judge has jeopardized his client’s right to a fair trial over a vendetta with a newspaper reporter. Defense attorney Edward Heyburn said in court papers filed last week that his client, former Newark gang member Shaheed Brown, has found himself “caught in the … Read more →

Murder suspect breaks silence, openings follow as murder trial begins in Trenton

Former Newark gang member Shaheed Brown poured his attorney a cup of water. Harried defense attorney Edward Heyburn needed it after giving a long-winded and disjointed opening statement Thursday, in his client’s second trial for allegedly gunning down Enrico Smalley Jr. outside of La Guira Bar on July 12, 2014. Both attorneys’ opening remarks to … Read more →

Jury selection begins in murder retrial

Defense attorney Edward Heyburn sounded like famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, interjecting race into the retrial of former Newark gang member Shaheed Brown. By the end of the first day of jury selection Monday, Heyburn had already pulled out the race card, lamenting that too few African Americans are in the jury pool. Heyburn has not … Read more →

Trenton Murder trial for Shaheed Brown ends with hung jury

TRENTON >> For the second time in as many weeks, a Mercer County jury was unable to decide a verdict in a high-profile murder trial, leaving a retired judge and the prosecutor who tried the case scratching their heads. The defense attorney, Edward Heyburn, said he was disappointed his client must remain behind bars until … Read more →

Bad blood spills over in court between victim’s family, attorney for murder suspect

An attorney for former Newark gang member Shaheed Brown, who is on trial for murder, has accused the brother of murder victim Enrico Smalley Jr. of disparaging and threatening him during an exchange in the restroom of the courthouse. The allegations spilled into the courtroom Wednesday when defense attorney Edward Heyburn asked Judge Andrew Smithson … Read more →

Prosecutor: Former Newark gang member, suspected killer ‘was out for revenge’ in Trenton

Assistant Prosecutor Brian McCauley promised at the outset of a former Newark gang member’s murder trial he would put the puzzle pieces together for jurors. He literally did, in his slideshow. The red puzzle pieces, containing bits of evidence or crucial statements from witnesses who testified in the trial, pointed to Shaheed Brown’s guilt in … Read more →

Attorney unable to locate witness who could exonerate his Newark man accused of murder

The only woman standing between Newark gang member Shaheed Brown and life sentence has not been allowed to testify, pretty much dismantling Brown’s third-party guilt defense and possibly sealing his fate. Defense attorney Edward Heyburn said he was given a deadline of Thursday to track down the witness, Kayemma Strong. He says he tried “day … Read more →

Defense attorney cross examines detective in Trenton murder trial

Everyone in the courtroom kept waiting for the haymaker that never came as defense attorney Edward Heyburn cross examined the lead detective in Enrico Smalley Jr.’s murder in July 2014. If anything was true about Heyburn leading up to trial, it was that he pulled no punches plotting out his pretrial strategy for how he … Read more →

Circus atmosphere grips opening day of high-profile murder trial

TRENTON >> The opening phase of the Shaheed Brown murder trial played out as if attorneys were filming a sequel to the popular film “My Cousin Vinny.” The movie traced the evolution of a bombastically incompetent attorney, Vinnie Gambini, played by actor Joe Pesci. Gambinni’s goal was to get his cousin and a friend off … Read more →

Prison advocates believe in suspected Trenton killer’s innocence

Shaheed Brown was raised on the hardscrabble streets of Newark. In and out of the gang life and in and out of prison, he spent time in solitary confinement in the now-shuttered, high-risk gang unit of Northern State Prison in Newark. Brown’s parents struggled with drug addiction, leaving him to fend for himself. He has … Read more →

Trenton woman defends her dead grandson against murder accusation

The grandmother of now-deceased Rodney Sutphin has a message for a defense attorney who has accused her grandson of ordering the murder of Enrico Smalley Jr. “A dead man can’t speak,” Deborah Ellis, who raised brothers Rodney and Raesean Supthin at her home on Grand Street, said from inside a cavernous conference room at The … Read more →

Attorney for defendant believes he has cracked the Trenton homicide case

Did a dead man order the murder of Enrico Smalley Jr.? The attorney for a Trenton man accused of gunning down Smalley outside a crime-riddled city bar in July 2014 believes he has cracked the case. If true, his bombshell allegations would not only exonerate his client, 30-year-old Shaheed Brown, but implicate now-deceased Rodney Sutphin … Read more →

Trial for Smalley murder assigned to new judge, may see court sooner

Undeterred by a possible life sentence if he is found guilty by a jury, Shaheed Brown, who has repeatedly clamored for a speedy trial in the slaying of another man outside a city bar last year, is getting his wish. He could be tried for the murder of Enrico Smalley Jr. as early as September, … Read more →

Shaheed Brown rejects plea deal for murder charges, will head to trial

The murder case against a Trenton man accused of fatally shooting Enrico Smalley Jr. outside a violence-riddled city bar last year is headed for trial. Shaheed Brown, 30, who is accused of gunning down Smalley outside of La Guira Bar in July 2014, said he was “absolutely” rejecting prosecutors’ final plea offer of 45 years … Read more →

Gun used in Enrico Smalley murder linked to Essex County murder, 2 Trenton shootings

The murder weapon used in last year’s fatal shooting death of Enrico Smalley outside a violence-riddled city bar is linked with a separate homicide in Essex County and two shootings in Trenton, prosecutors said Wednesday. Prosecutor said shell casings at those scenes ballistically matched ones recovered from La Guira Bar, where authorities say suspected killer … Read more →

Shaheed Brown pleads innocent to charges of shooting and killing Enrico Smalley outside of La Guira Bar

A city man accused in the July shooting death of Enrico Smalley Jr. pleaded not guilty to murder charges and rejected an offer from prosecutors calling for a 45-year prison term during a contentious status hearing Wednesday, highlighted by renewed bickering about discovery issues from attorneys involved in the case. Shaheed Brown, 30, was indicted … Read more →

Watch: Video of Enrico Smalley murder shows he and Shaheed Brown were followed by two men

Surveillance video from the morning Enrico Smalley Jr. was gunned down outside of La Guira Bar shows that someone other than Shaheed Brown gained his attention moments before he stepped outside. The video also shows two men follow Brown and Smalley down the street moments before the shooting. Brown’s defense attorney Edward Heyburn says that … Read more →

Scene of Saturday morning Trenton murder has had trouble in the past

Detectives spent the weekend collecting evidence, including surveillance footage from two city bars, they hope will help them piece together what happened moments before a 39-year-old city man was gunned down outside a bar wracked by a recent spate of gun violence. Witnesses described hearing panicked screams of patrons fleeing from La Guira Bar when … Read more →

Defense attorney for murder suspect says Mercer County prosecutors are withholding evidence of his client’s innocence

The attorney representing Shaheed Brown, who is accused of killing 20-year-old Enrico Smalley Jr., says that Mercer County prosecutors are withholding evidence that could exonerate his client. “They turned over the discovery, but they didn’t turn over any of the videotapes,” Brown’s defense attorney Edward Heyburn said. “I have a good faith belief that the … Read more →

Shaheed Brown indicted in connection with the murder of Enrico Smalley Jr.

Shaheed Brown was indicted last week in connection with the murder of Enrico Smalley Jr. Brown, 30, was indicted on charges of murder, related weapons offenses and certain persons not to possess a firearm. Around 1:20 a.m. on July 12, police found 20-year-old Smalley lying on the sidewalk in front of La Guira Bar at … Read more →

Trenton man arrested in Newark in connection with murder of Enrico Smalley Jr.

A city man was arrested Saturday in connection with the murder of 20-year-old Enrico Smalley Jr. Around 1:20 a.m. on July 12, police were dispatched to the corner of Poplar Street and North Clinton Avenue, where they found Smalley lying on the sidewalk in front of La Guira Bar suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, including … Read more →

Shaheed Brown

  • Arrested: Aug. 16, 2014
  • Age: 30
  • Gender: Male
  • Race: Black

Suspected in the July 12, 2014 death of Enrico Smalley Jr..