When Jose “Boom Bat” Negrete was installed as leader of the Latin Kings in the summer of 2004, the group underwent a stark transformation, from a loosely organized group of men who grew up together in Trenton, into a feared street gang, codified by a commitment to crime and ca
rrying out orders, a former gang member said.
Wilfredo “Hype” Rosa, who spent nearly a dozen years as a Latin King after joining as a teenager, testified Tuesday he also witnessed the evolution of Angel “Ace” Hernandez, from a young boy into a cold-blooded convicted killer serving a life sentence for fatally shooting Latin “Queen” Jeri Lynn Dotson on Aug. 31, 2004.
In chilling testimony, Rosa, now 32, said he and Hernandez visited the woman’s neighborhood hours after Hernandez executed Dotson at point-blank range inside the basement of her Chestnut Street apartment. Hernandez apparently didn’t stir when the duo noticed the area overrun by police officers and cordoned off by yellow police tape.
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Two men convicted of fatally shooting convicted drug dealer Tracy Crews during a 2008 botched robbery are asking a judge to render a jury’s verdict moot and acquit them of murder.
William “Paperboy” Brown, 30, and Nigel “Youngin” Dawson, 31, were convicted last month of felony murder, murder, robbery and weapons offenses following a six-week jury trial. They face life in prison when they are sentenced April 10 by Superior Court Judge Andrew Smithson.
Nigel Dawson and William Brown are accused of the 2008 murder of Tracy Crews. (Submitted photos)
Their attorneys argue Smithson’s decision to allow in Crews’ dying declaration biased the jury, especially after a previous judge ruled it was inadmissible.
Steven Lember, Brown’s attorney, wrote in his motion Smithson’s decision “irreparably damaged” the defendants’ right to a fair trial. Anticipating Smithson will deny the motion for acquittal, Lember also requested a new trial.
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A Trenton man shot to death Wednesday in the city’s East Ward was parked in a car with two passengers when he was ambushed by a unknown assailant who remains at large, authorities said.
Darryl S. Ford (contributed photo)
Darryl Ford, 19, was found in the driver’s seat of a green Hyundai Tucson that had crashed into the side of a Hamilton Avenue building suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 400 block of Ardmore Avenue after police were dispatched around 8:30 p.m. on a report of gunfire.
Ford was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later, authorities said. He became the city’s second murder in a span of 24 hours after a stretch of nearly a month without a homicide.
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Two people were murdered in Trenton within a 24-hour period.
Police inspect a car that a driver who was shot crashed into a building on Ardmore Avenue. March 11, 2015 (Trentonian/L.A. Parker)
Around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to the 400 block of Ardmore Avenue to investigate reported gunfire and found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His name and age were not available at press time.
Police scanners reported that the man was driving a car and crashed it into a building. Investigators were on-scene looking for evidence inside the car, but it is unclear how much damage was caused to the building. Read more
The former beau of a Latin “queen” gang member allegedly ordered killed by Latin King gang leader Jose Negrete testified Wednesday he knew something was wrong when he encountered a swarm of police officers in his former girlfriend’s neighborhood after he was dispatched there to pick up a vehicle.
Dimas Peralta, a former high-ranking Latin Kings gang member and the father of murder victim Jeri Lynn Dotson’s two children, said he was on call as a tow truck driver when he arrived at Dotson’s Chestnut Street apartment around 8 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2004.
He was intercepted by a detective, who asked him if he knew a young girl sitting outside of the home. Peralta recognized the girl as his daughter. He was informed police needed to speak with him at headquarters.
Fifteen hours passed, Peralta said, before he was informed his former girlfriend was killed. She was shot in the head and left on the basement floor of her Chestnut Street apartment with a cigarette lighter and piece of candy on her body.
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At least seven crime scene evidence placards littered the sidewalk signifying that something terrible happened.
A late night Tuesday shooting injured one man and killed a former city boxer.
Steven Quinton Brannon, 46, was shot in the throat, according to a family member who spoke to The Trentonian. He left behind two daughters and four grandchildren.
Police were dispatched to the 200 block of East Hanover Street to investigate reports of gunfire around 10 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived on-scene, police found two people suffering from gunshot wounds.
Police say a 58-year-old man was shot in the hip and groin area, but they would not confirm exactly where Brannon was struck. The men were both taken to Capital Health Regional Medical center, where Brannon was pronounced dead a short time later.
That block of East Hanover Street is a hotspot for criminal activity. Police did not disclose a motive for the killing, but Brannon’s family said they would not be surprised if the incident involved drugs.
“Once he smoked crack, he was a different person,” his brother Bryant Brannon said. Read more
A former leader of the Ñetas street gang testified Tuesday he ordered underlings to beat gang turncoat Alex Ruiz for more than 20 minutes near railroad tracks at a park after he defected to the Latin Kings, triggering a war between the rival factions.
Fernando Rivera, the Ñetas’ former top boss, said the only reason he didn’t order Ruiz murdered was because the victim’s brother was a member of the Ñetas. Apparently even in gangland culture, blood is thicker than beef.
“To be honest,” said Rivera, whose own criminal rap sheet includes convictions for kidnapping, aggravated assault and drug trafficking, “the reason I didn’t kill Alex was because of his brother. I can’t take his family member out even though he crossed the line.”
Rivera’s testimony in the fourth murder trial of Latin Kings gang leader Jose Negrete was startling even on a day filled with fireworks. Another witness’ refusal to answer prosecutors’ questions could lead to him being held in contempt.
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A convicted ecstasy dealer fatally shot an acquaintance on a city street during a botched drug deal, and authorities aren’t sure of a motive, prosecutors said.
“Only two people know the reason,” Assistant Prosecutor Brian McCauley said. “One guy is dead and another is not talking.”
Naquan Green
McCauley was referring to Naquan Green, 26, a convicted drug dealer who was arrested and charged March 4 with the murder of 25-year-old Taquan McNeil. Superior Court Judge Timothy Lydon maintained Green’s bail at $1.1 million, citing the strength of the state’s case and the defendant’s potential as a flight risk. Read more
A city man charged in the 2012 stabbing death of the brother of his former girlfriend allegedly sexually assaulted his former girlfriend shortly after she was released from a hospital where she gave birth to her dead child, prosecutors said.
David Noncent, whose age was unavailable, is charged in the Dec. 4, 2012 murder of 26-year-old Courtney Levine. Levine intervened on behalf of his sister when she had told him about the alleged rape, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Kimm Lacken said at a Monday status conference. Read more
A Trenton man admitted Monday he pried a knife from the hands of his girlfriend and stabbed her to death after she attacked him during a jealous rage.
Jose Delgado-Febres, 39, acknowledged stabbing 27-year-old Yerika Hernandez in the back during an early-morning argument April 28, 2009 that erupted after his live-in girlfriend accused him of cheating. Read more
