Zion Williams | Homicide Watch Trenton

3 men indicted in Trenton North 25 murder of Wilma Rutledge

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:51:10 -0500

(From left) Zion Williams, Rahein McInnis and Togbah Kpehe

Three city men have been indicted on murder charges in connection with the October 2017 North 25 housing complex shooting that killed a city woman and injured a 14-year-old girl.

Zion Williams, 19; Rahein McInnis, 32; and Togbah Kpehe, 24, have each been indicted on one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree aggravated assault and numerous weapons offenses on allegations they participated in the afternoon shooting that killed 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge and wounded the teenage victim.

Meanwhile, two juveniles arrested in the case could potentially be charged as adults. The juvenile defendants were both 16 at the time of their arrests last October. Motions to waive them up to adult criminal court are pending, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

A grand jury last Friday handed up the 14-count indictment that named Williams, McInnis and Kpehe as defendants, according to court records. McInnis and Togbah are convicted felons who have each previously pleaded guilty to drug distribution charges. As such, last week’s indictment also charged McInnis and Togbah with one count of certain persons not to possess a firearm.

The fatal North 25 shooting incident occurred about 3:10 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2017, at the intersection of Carver Lane and North Willow Street in Trenton. Both gunshot victims were transported to the hospital by private means. Rutledge, a local grandmother, was pronounced dead at the hospital while the teenager sustained non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)

Police arrested Williams and both juvenile defendants on or about Oct. 20, 2017. Williams is represented by private defense attorney Robin Lord. Prosecutors say Williams and both juveniles were armed to the teeth when Kpehe dropped them off near the North 25 housing complex on the date of the murder.

Kpehe is represented by private defense attorney Andrew Ferencevych and has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 6, 2017. McInnis is represented by private defense attorney Mark Fury and has been in custody since his Oct. 25 arrest.

The three adult defendants in the case remain incarcerated without bail on pretrial detention.

Lawyer: Co-defendant in North 25 murder case was previously shot, suffers depression

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 14:58:32 -0400

Alleged killer Zion Williams has personal experience with handling weapons and getting shot.

Zion Williams

Williams, who was arrested last week in connection with the Oct. 6 murder of 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge, was adjudicated last year for being a juvenile in unlawful possession of a handgun and was hospitalized earlier this year after surviving gunshot wounds, according to statements made in court.

Defense attorney Robin Lord, who is representing Williams, said her client was shot several months ago and “almost died from that injury.”

Prosecutors say surveillance video captured Williams pointing a handgun in the direction of the victim who died in the Oct. 6 shooting at the North 25 housing complex. In addition to killing Rutledge, a local grandmother, the wild afternoon shooting also injured a 14-year-old girl.

Williams questions whether police obtained any surveillance video from when he was shot in May, according to Lord, who said Williams has a long road to recovery and suffers from depression. She also said Williams has a steady work history with the Coryell Tree Service and said he graduated early from the Rubino Academy last June.

Williams is one of four defendants arrested this month in connection with the Oct. 6 shooting. The other co-defendants in the homicide case are Rahein McInnis, 32, of Trenton, and two 16-year-old teens whom prosecutors have not identified because they are underage.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Heather Hadley in court on Friday successfully argued for Williams to be placed on pretrial detention, mentioning Williams’ juvenile and adult criminal history and the fact that he faces life in prison if convicted of murder.

Police have charged Williams with accomplice liability counts of murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. Trenton Police Detective Scott Peterson of the Mercer County Homicide Task Force arrested him Oct. 20.

At the court hearing on Friday, Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier signed the order placing Williams on pretrial detention.

Williams through his attorney asked the court why was he being detained without bail when he could have been released on electronically monitored home detention.

Billmeier said Williams has a right to file a timely appeal on the detention order.

Three teenagers arrested for North 25 Housing murder

Penny Ray — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:55:05 -0400

Zion Williams

Three teenagers have been arrested in connection with the murder of 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge.

Zion Williams, 18, and two 16-year-old males are charged with murder, attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child and related weapons offenses in connection with the October 6 shooting, which claimed Rutledge’s life and injured a 14-year-old girl.

Rutledge and the teenage girl were innocent bystanders when gunfire rang out in the North 25 Housing complex that Friday afternoon. Rutledge was later pronounced dead at the hospital, while the teenager sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)

Sources with intimate knowledge of the situation said the teenage victim was a dedicated volunteer who helped special needs children.

Prosecutors have not disclosed a motive for the shooting.

Williams was arrested in the capital city this past Friday night by the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force. The two juvenile males were arrested Sunday at a home in Ewing.

The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Williams while the case plays out in court.

The names of the other two suspects have not been released because they are juveniles.

Trenton Police investigate a fatal shooting at the North 25 Housing complex on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. (GREGG SLABODA — The Trentonian)