Robert E. Byers | Homicide Watch Trenton

Jamaican man headed to trial for 2013 city murder

Isaac Avilucea — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 11:21:44 -0400

A Jamaican man suspected of gunning a 47-year-old city man in 2013 has rejected prosecutors’ plea offers and is expected to be tried later this year.

Judge Pedro Jimenez set Robert Byers’ murder trial down for Oct. 3 of this year. He is accused of fatally shooting construction worker and DJ Devon Hewitt in 2013, then fleeing to Florida where he was arrested by U.S. Marshals.

Byers, of Mott Street, was nabbed in Miami and brought back to New Jersey, where he was indicted on first-degree murder and weapons charges.

He is being tried by Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Kimm Lacken.

The judge will hear pretrial evidentiary motions Sept. 16, less than a month before the start of trial.

Byers is accused of going to a house on Phillips Avenue where Hewitt, a 47-year-old Jamaican and popular disc jockey, partied with a friend the afternoon of Nov. 21, 2013.

Cops responded to shots fired and found the father of two dead. According to published reports, the men argued over a game of cards or dominoes.

Last year, prosecutors floated Byers an offer that would have required him to plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter and spend 25 years in prison, according to published reports.

Byers has been held at the Mercer jail on $1 million bail.

Byers is a native of Jamaica and is in America on an expired work visa.

Robert Byers indicted on murder charges in connection with Devon Hewitt's death

Paul Mickle — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:59:52 -0400

A suspect who fled to Florida after allegedly fatally shooting construction worker and DJ Devon Hewitt in 2013 has been indicted on murder charges.

Robert E. Byers, 36, of Mott Street, who was nabbed in Miami in March, was indicted on first-degree murder and weapons charges after Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Kimm Lacken presented the case to a grand jury.

Byers is accused of going to a house on Phillips Avenue where native of Jamaica and popular disc jockey Hewitt, 47, was partying with friend at 4:45 the afternoon of Nov. 21, 2013.

When cops responded to shots fired along Phillips, they found the father of two dead.

Since he was hauled in with the help of fugitive task forces here and in Florida, Byers has been a resident of the Mercer jail, held on $1 million bail.

Byers is a native of Jamaica in America on an expired work visa. His victim left Jamaica 30 years ago and supported his family with a union construction job.

Murder suspect held on $1 million bail

Sherrina Navani — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 19:12:34 -0400

The suspect in the death of a Trenton man has been returned to New Jersey after he was captured in Miami.

Robert E. Byers, of Trenton, has been charged with the shooting death of Devon Hewitt on Nov. 21, 2013.

A U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force investigation revealed that Robert E. Byers was the alleged shooter. According to police, the 36-year-old suspect was arrest on March 27, in Miami and was then extradited to Trenton. He appeared in court on Wednesday where he was charged and his bail was set at $1 million.

On Nov. 21, around 4:45 p.m., police discovered Hewitt, lying on the floor of a residence in the 100 block of Phillips Avenue, suffering from a single gunshot wound. Hewitt was pronounced dead at the scene.

Byers is being held at the Mercer County Correctional Facility while awaiting a formal indictment.

Trenton man arrested in connection with Devon Hewitt murder

Penny Ray — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:32:26 -0400

A Trenton man was arrested last week in connection with the 2013 murder of 47-year-old Devon Earl Hewitt.

Around 4:45 p.m. on Nov. 21, police found Hewitt lying on the floor of a residence in the 100 block of Phillips Avenue suffering from a single gunshot wound. Hewitt was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to police, over the course of the investigation, the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force developed leads on the suspect’s whereabouts and then forwarded that information to law enforcement in Florida.

On Thursday, Robert E. Byers, 36, was arrested in Miami and charged with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Byers is being held at the Miami-Dade Police Department pending extradition to New Jersey.