Alberto Perez | Homicide Watch Trentonhttp://trenton.homicidewatch.org/suspects/alberto-perez/Latest news about Alberto Perezen-usMon, 15 Aug 2016 10:31:27 -0400Trenton man denies killing friend over drug debthttp://trenton.homicidewatch.org/2016/08/15/trenton-man-denies-killing-friend-over-drug-debt/<p>A city man who may have shot another man to death over a drug debt denies being involved in his friend’s death.</p> <p>But Assistant Prosecutor Tim Ward said at a bail hearing Monday morning that at least one witness identified 37-year-old Alberto Perez, who has been charged with murder and weapons offenses, as the man behind the fatal Aug. 5 shooting of Jonathan Jimenez.</p> <a href="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4623" src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez-240x300.jpg" alt="Alberto Perez" width="240" height="300" srcset="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez-240x300.jpg 240w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Alberto Perez</p> <p>Jimenez was shot in the chest and found in the street on the first block of Cummings Avenue.</p> <p>A judge maintained Perez’s bail at $750,000 after hearing from prosecutors, who said a witness told police that after the shooting, Perez fled in a Honda Civic that was later located a few blocks away from the slaying.</p> <p>Perez lived a short distance away from the murder, on Anderson Street.<span id="more-4647"></span></p> <p>Witnesses told police another Hispanic man was in the car but it is unclear at this point whether authorities are seeking a second suspect in connection with the fatal shooting.</p> <p>Prosecutors shed little light on the circumstances of the shooting at the bail hearing and did not address a possible motive for the killing.</p> <p>Police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that Jimenez was killed over an $80 drug debt.</p> <p>Jimenez’s widow, Andrea Vargas, told <em>The Trentonian</em> that Perez was friends with her husband and attended family functions in the past.</p> <p>“They were close enough that they would eat from the same plate,” she said. “They were definitely friends. He attended a baby shower with Jonathan.”</p> <p>When Perez spoke to police after he was arrested, he denied having anything to do with Jimenez’s murder. He acknowledged being in the area, Ward said.</p> <p>Jason Charles Matey, Perez’s attorney, said his client maintains his innocence and his office will vigorously contest the charges.</p> <a href="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4596" src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-300x300.jpg" alt="Jonathan Jimenez" width="300" height="300" srcset="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-300x300.jpg 300w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-150x150.jpg 150w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-500x500.jpg 500w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Jonathan Jimenez</p> <p>Perez and Jimenez are both from Puerto Rico but have lived in Trenton for more than a decade.</p> <p>Jimenez’s family said he moved into a home on Cummings Avenue three days before he was gunned down.</p> <p>Perez has lived in New Jersey for at least 16 years, Matey said.</p> <p>Perez has prior convictions for burglary and violated probation in the past but does not appear to have any documented history of violence.</p> <p>Jimenez left behind a 10-year-old son and two daughters, ages 15 and 11. He also has two brothers living in Trenton, one of whom is his twin.</p> Isaac AviluceaMon, 15 Aug 2016 10:31:27 -0400http://trenton.homicidewatch.org/2016/08/15/trenton-man-denies-killing-friend-over-drug-debt/Jonathan JimenezAlberto PerezMan charged in connection with Chambersburg murderhttp://trenton.homicidewatch.org/2016/08/10/man-charged-in-connection-with-chambersburg-murder/<a href="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez.jpg"><img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez-240x300.jpg" alt="Alberto Perez" width="240" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-4623" srcset="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez-240x300.jpg 240w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Alberto-Perez.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Alberto Perez</p> <p>A city man accused of killing his close friend may have pulled the trigger over an $80 drug debt. </p> <p>Alberto A. Perez, 37, is charged with murder and related weapons offenses for allegedly killing <a href="http://trenton.homicidewatch.org/victims/jonathan-jimenez/">Jonathan Jimenez</a>, who was gunned down last Friday. </p> <p>Jonathan's relatives say he and Perez were close friends, and that they may have argued over an $80 debt. </p> <p>Police sources told The Trentonian the argument regarded a drug debt. </p> <p>"They were close enough that they would eat from the same plate," Jonathan’s estranged wife Andrea Vargas said, adding that she doesn't understand why someone would kill their own friend. "They were definitely friends. He attended a baby shower with Jonathan."</p> <p>Officials say Perez was arrested in connection with unrelated outstanding warrants this past weekend. Prosecutor's charged him with murder Tuesday afternoon.</p> <p>Jimenez, who is originally from Puerto Rico but has lived in Trenton for more than a decade, was gunned down in the first block of Cummings Avenue around 10:30 p.m. August 5. His family says he had <a href="http://trenton.homicidewatch.org/2016/08/07/community-mourns-death-of-trenton-man-killed-friday/">moved into a home on that block three days prior</a> to his death. When police arrived at the scene, they found Jimenez lying in the street suffering from a gunshot wound through his chest. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. <span id="more-4624"></span></p> <p>Witnesses reported seeing two Hispanic males flee the crime scene in a vehicle that was later found a few blocks away. Officials would not confirm whether the second suspect has been identified. But a spokesperson with the prosecutor's office said the investigation remains ongoing. </p> <p>Jimenez &mdash; who most recently worked for a car dealership, but often found landscaping work as well, and used to be employed as a security guard at Ilusiones Bar and Restaurant &mdash; left behind three children: a 10-year-old son and two daughters, ages 15 and 11. He also has two brothers living in Trenton, one of whom is his twin.</p> <p>His family originally planned to send Jonathan's body back to Puerto Rico to be laid to rest on a plot of land where other relatives are buried. But they have now decided to bury him in Trenton so his children can regularly visit his grave. </p> <a href="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez.jpg"><img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-150x150.jpg" alt="Jonathan Jimenez" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-4596" srcset="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-150x150.jpg 150w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-300x300.jpg 300w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez-500x500.jpg 500w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/Jimenez.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Jonathan Jimenez</p> <p>"Some of his family is in Puerto Rico, but his life was over here," Gloria Ruiz, who’s the godmother of Jonathan’s oldest daughter, said. "If they bury him in Puerto Rico, the kids won't be able to visit him. They want to visit his grave at least five minutes every day."</p> <p>The death of a father would be traumatic for any young child, but Jonathan's death compounds his kids' grief because they were friends with 16-year-old <a href="http://trenton.homicidewatch.org/victims/ciony-kirkman/">Ciony Kirkman</a>, who died earlier this year after being shot in the head while in a stolen minivan on Jersey Street.</p> <p>"The kids are not doing too good," Ruiz said. "They're taking it day-by-day."</p> <p>The family plans to host a fundraiser to help pay for Jonathan's funeral expenses Friday in Columbus Park from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. </p> <a href="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381.jpg"><img src="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381-500x331.jpg" alt="Friends and family paid their respects at two makeshift memorials in Chambersburg on the Sunday after Jonathan Jimenez&#039;s death. (Penny Ray - Trentonian)" width="500" height="331" class="size-large wp-image-4609" srcset="http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381-500x331.jpg 500w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381-300x199.jpg 300w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381-768x509.jpg 768w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381-800x530.jpg 800w, http://wordpress.homicidewatch.org/trenton/files/2016/08/rsz_dsc_3381.jpg 924w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Friends and family paid their respects at two makeshift memorials in Chambersburg on the Sunday after Jonathan Jimenez's death. (Penny Ray - Trentonian)</p> Penny RayWed, 10 Aug 2016 13:43:09 -0400http://trenton.homicidewatch.org/2016/08/10/man-charged-in-connection-with-chambersburg-murder/Jonathan JimenezAlberto Perez