Edward Kevin Nock | Homicide Watch Trenton

Convicted killer gets 47 years in Trenton murder case, vows to appeal

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Sat, 30 Mar 2019 18:54:17 -0400

Edward Kevin Nock (contributed photo)

Convicted murderer Isaac Grey smiled and blew kisses Friday after a judge had sentenced him to more than 40 years of incarceration.

Despite being convicted of stabbing and killing Edward Nock, the defendant declared he is not the perpetrator who had attacked the victim at knifepoint.

“Your honor, I am no bad guy,” he told the court on Friday. “I am innocent, your honor. I didn’t do it, but I do take blame for letting other individuals in the house and letting it get out of hand.”

Grey lived at the Nock residence and invited or enabled other people to crash at Nock’s Beakes Street apartment on the night of the murder. The slaying occurred about 9:45 p.m. June 30, 2015, after hours of drinking and arguments.

“I apologize deeply to the family,” Grey said Friday, “because as a young man I should have known better, but I am human and I made a mistake.”

A trial jury in January found Grey guilty of murder, witness tampering and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for allegedly stabbing and killing 43-year-old Nock at Trenton’s Donnelly Homes housing complex.

Doris Nock, the victim’s mother, thanked Grey on Friday, saying his homicidal actions from 2015 has made the Nock family “much stronger.”

Other relatives and friends described Edward Nock as “honest” and “caring” and said he “didn’t deserve to go out the way he did.”

When police were dispatched to Nock’s apartment on the night of the murder, they found him lying on the floor suffering from a stab wound to the abdomen. Medics rushed Nock to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The killer fled from the murder scene, but authorities tracked down Grey and arrested him for the crime in Philadelphia two days after the homicide.

Grey, 35, of Trenton, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Jan. 30. The trial jury also convicted him of witness tampering, finding the defendant had attempted to bribe a witness in the case.

At the sentencing hearing on Friday, the prosecution argued for an appropriate punishment while the defense argued for leniency.

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier sentenced Grey to 40 years of incarceration on the murder conviction and seven years of incarceration for the witness tampering. Grey must serve at least 34 years or 85 percent of the term behind bars on the murder conviction to be followed by seven consecutive years of continued imprisonment. New Jersey state law requires his witness tampering and murder sentences to be served consecutively, which amounts to 47 years of total incarceration in this case.

Grey received nearly 1,400 days of jail credit, which effectively reduces his prison sentence by that amount. The judge also ordered him to pay $5,000 in restitution to the victim’s wife to reimburse her for funeral costs. The judge took into account that Grey had six prior upper court convictions, including one for aggravated assault, as well as three municipal court convictions and a history of juvenile delinquency.

One of Grey’s siblings, a sister from Delaware, attended Friday’s sentencing hearing and told the court that “my brother is a kindhearted person” and “I love my brother to death.”

Wearing a beige jacket over his orange jumpsuit, Grey during much of the sentencing hearing had a smirk on his face and at times looked back at his sister with affection. After the judge handed down the prison sentence, Grey blew kisses and waved to his sister before the sheriff’s officers escorted him out of the courtroom.

“I think the judge put a lot of thought into this one,” defense attorney Mark Davis said of the prison sentence. “If Isaac Grey was in fact guilty this would be a fair and reasonable sentence. We intend to appeal, because he is not the one who committed the murder.”

Davis said his client never wanted Nock to get killed. “That was a friend of his,” he told the court. “That was the last thing he wanted to happen on that day.”

Jury convicts Trenton man in 2015 Donnelly Homes slaying

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 16:46:23 -0500

The man accused of fatally stabbing 43-year-old Edward Nock at a city housing complex in 2015 is now facing 30 years to life in prison as a convicted felon.

Edward Kevin Nock (contributed photo)

Isaac Grey, 35, of Trenton, has been found guilty of murder, tampering with a witness, bribery and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for allegedly killing Nock at the Donnelly Homes on June 30, 2015, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Handing down its swift verdict on Wednesday, the trial jury actually acquitted Grey of unlawful possession of a weapon. The alleged killer, however, still faces decades behind bars on the murder conviction alone, authorities said.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Stacey Geurds prosecuted the case against Grey, who allegedly attacked Nock at a Donnelly Homes apartment off Beakes Street.

When police were dispatched to that apartment on the night of the murder, they found Nock lying on the floor suffering from a stab wound to the abdomen. Medics rushed Nock to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The killer fled from the murder scene, but authorities tracked down Grey and arrested him for the crime in Philadelphia two days after the homicide.

In a statement Wednesday, Geurds and Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Eugene expressed satisfaction with the verdict, saying they are “so very pleased that they could help get the victim’s family justice,” the prosecutor’s office said.

“It’s a disappointing verdict,” defense attorney Mark Davis said Wednesday evening. “It’s what we call an inconsistent verdict. It’s not the first. It won’t be the last.”

Davis said his client “will be appealing the verdict and challenging a lot of issues” that arose in the trial. Davis was not sure whether the inconsistent verdict would be a basis for appeal, he said, adding, “I think we have much bigger fish to fry.”

“Juries sometimes confuse us in their decision-making process,” he said, “but I still applaud the jury. They took their time. They pored over the evidence. They disagreed with our defense.”

“We believe the killer of Edward Nock is still out there and has not been apprehended,” Davis said. “They never recovered the weapon Mr. Nock was killed with. We submit it’s still with the killer. I don’t think it’s hard to connect those dots, but the jury disagreed.”

Grey is scheduled to be sentenced March 29 before Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier.

Trenton man indicted for murder of Edward Nock

Penny Ray — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:55:43 -0400

Edward Kevin Nock (contributed photo)

A city man has been indicted in connection with the stabbing death of 43-year-old Edward Nock.

Isaac Grey, 32, was indicted last week and charged with murder and weapons offenses in connection with the June 2015 incident that left Nock bleeding on the floor of a Beakes Street apartment.

When police were dispatched to that apartment on the night of June 30, they found Nock lying on the floor suffering from a stab wound to the abdomen. Nock later died at the hospital.

Grey was identified as a suspect in the murder shortly after the incident, and police arrested him in Philadelphia a couple of days later. He remains in jail on $750,000 bail.

Police arrest suspect in Trenton stabbing death

Trentonian Staff — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 17:25:41 -0400

By Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman

Edward Kevin Nock (contributed photo)

Police solved one of the city’s recent murder cases Thursday as county and federal officers tracked down and arrested the suspected killer who had stabbed Edward Kevin Nock to death earlier this week at Donnelly Homes, authorities announced.

Isaac J. Grey, 31, of Beakes Street, Trenton, was arrested in Philadelphia by Mercer County homicide investigators with the assistance of U.S. Marshals, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. Grey has been charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Grey fled to the City of Brotherly Love after allegedly stabbing Nock about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday in Trenton. Police found Nock, 43, lying on the floor of a Donnelly Homes apartment in the first block of Beakes Street suffering from an apparent stab wound to the abdomen. Nock was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.

One of Nock’s cousins said Nock “was a very caring person and never did anything to hurt anyone.”

Police found Grey about 11 a.m. Thursday at a house on Newkirk Street in Philadelphia and arrested him on the spot, according to the prosecutor’s office. Bail information was not immediately available.

Man stabbed to death inside apartment on Beakes Street

Penny Ray — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 08:33:38 -0400

Police are investigating a murder that occurred inside a Donnelly Homes apartment on Beakes Street. July 1, 2015 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)

The capital city has now experienced six homicides in five weeks.

Edward Kevin Nock, 43, was stabbed in the abdomen around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, and police found him lying on the floor of his Donnelly Homes apartment after receiving an emergency 911 call reporting the incident. Nock underwent emergency surgery, but he died as a result of his injuries a couple of hours after the stabbing.

One of Nock’s cousins, who asked to remain anonymous, said Nock was helping a man get on his feet by allowing him to live in his apartment. That man, the cousin said, is the person rumored to have stabbed Nock. The cousin said Nock and the man had an argument, which resulted in the stabbing. The suspect is now on the run, according to Nock’s cousin. Police, meanwhile, have not released the suspect’s name or description.

“He was a very caring person and never did anything to hurt anyone,” the cousin said about Nock. “He was helping out by letting the guy stay with him.”

Edward Kevin Nock (contributed photo)

His cousin said Nock has also been taking care of his mother, who just had part of her leg amputated. Nock was married, his cousin said, but does not have children. The Trentonian was not able to reach Nock’s additional family members.

So far this year, four homicides have occurred in the North Ward, which is where Nock was killed. As a comparison, five homicides have occurred in the West Ward, three happened in the East Ward, and one killing occurred in the South Ward.

Additional analysis shows that eight people have been shot to death this year, three have been fatally stabbed, one died by arson and another was fatally struck by a vehicle while crossing the street.

“We have tried to give the police department every tool possible to prevent deaths, such as ShotSpotter which helps police reach the victims in a timely manner, but you don't know when there's a stabbing taking place,” North Ward Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson said. “This really concerns me because now the crimes are starting to escalate again, and of course summer is always the worse time of year.”

The councilwoman said she’s “baffled” by the violence taking place not only in the capital city, but across the nation. She said it’s reached a point where citizens are hesitant to trust strangers, which makes it difficult for those who are seeking help to overcome a bad situation in their life.

“There's no easy solution to the violence that's going on in cities right now,” Caldwell-Wilson said. “Violence results from a combination of things.”

City activist Darren “Freedom” Green said people often point fingers at police and government officials when talking about violence in urban cities. But crime and violence is an extension of poverty and a failing education system, Green said.

“We're reproducing a population of children who are growing into adults but can't even function on a basic level,” Green said. “We have to deal with the reality of people being unemployed and underemployed, and we also have to deal with the failing educational system.”

Green also said parents need to take more responsibility in how their children are raised and teach them to be responsible, respectful adults.

“We have to incorporate civics into everything we do so that responsible behavior becomes the norm, and that's something everyone can do regardless of their economic bracket,” Green said. “The home is the first institution of learning. Children need to learn to respect themselves, authority figures and the lives of others. We're burying children. I'm sick and tired of driving late at night and seeing teenagers out in the streets. There's no excuse for that.”

City Council President Zachary Chester previously told The Trentonian that city officials are working to increase employment opportunities for young people living in the city in order to keep them off of the streets at night and provide them with a sense of self-worth. Councilwoman Caldwell-Wilson echoed those sentiments Wednesday afternoon and said that was one of the reasons why council refused to approve a landscaping contract to a firm outside of the capital city.

“We want to hire from within the city of Trenton because when you empower people, it takes them away from the criminal activity and gives them a sense of self-worth,” the councilwoman said.

The Mercer County Homicide Task Force is investigating Nock’s death. Anyone with information about the killing is asked to call (609) 989-6406. Or use the Trenton police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663. Tipsters may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tipline at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

“My heart goes out to his family and friends,” Caldwell-Wilson said about Nock’s death. “Every time I get a text about a crime, it takes my breath away. Murder doesn't just affect the person who committed the crime and the person who was hurt, it affects family members, parents and friends. They all suffer from the fact that someone has been killed.”