James Wells | Homicide Watch Trenton

3 Trenton self-confessed killers serving time in state prison

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 20:11:36 -0400

(From left) Briann Lindsey, Antonio Sloan and Freilyn Delacruz (NJ DOC Photos)

Three of Trenton’s most notorious killers have been sentenced to state prison following their recent confessions of guilt.

Briann Lindsey, 26, of Trenton, is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women for killing her boyfriend last year.

Lindsey stabbed 35-year-old Christopher Johnson to death about 4:15 p.m. March 6, 2017, inside their West Ward apartment on the 300 block of Clearfield Avenue. Lindsey attempted to clean up the crime scene prior to police arrival and ultimately got arrested the following day on murder charges and weapons offenses.

Christopher Johnson (submitted photo)

Lindsey pleaded guilty May 21 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and got sentenced July 12 to 15 years of incarceration. She must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence behind bars before becoming eligible for parole. She received 492 days of jail credit and is scheduled to be released Dec. 5, 2029, record shows. She will be subjected to five years of parole supervision after serving her prison term.

Antonio B. Sloan, 28, of Trenton, is serving a 15-year prison sentence at East Jersey State Prison for killing 72-year-old James Wells in a vicious attack three years ago.

Sloan punched and kicked Wells in the body and head in the area of East Hanover and North Broad streets about 8 p.m. Sept. 13, 2015. Wells suffered life-threatening injuries and died 11 days later as family members stood beside him at Capital Health Regional Medical Center.

James Wells

Authorities arrested Sloan at his city residence on Sept. 30, 2015. He pleaded guilty in December 2017 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced in February to 15 years of incarceration to be followed by five years of parole supervision. He received 876 days of jail credit and is scheduled to be released June 30, 2028, records show.

Freilyn J. Delacruz, 38, of Trenton, is serving a 10-year prison sentence at Bayside State Prison for his role in the 2016 slaying of 32-year-old Jonathan Jimenez.

Delacruz and a co-defendant, 39-year-old Alberto Perez, were both charged with murder and weapons offenses on allegations they shot and killed Jimenez outside of his Chambersburg home on Aug. 5, 2016. The victim was a father who left behind three children.

Jonathan Jimenez

Police arrested Perez within days of the homicide and nabbed Delacruz months later in an international manhunt. Delacruz fled into Mexico with blood on his hands but got caught and extradited to the United States to face justice in December 2016.

Delacruz ultimately pleaded guilty June 11 to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and had his weapons offenses dismissed at sentencing Aug. 10. Delacruz received 598 days of jail credit, has been ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and is scheduled to be released June 20, 2025, records show. He will be subjected to five years of parole supervision after serving his term behind bars.

Delacruz is serving time in the slammer as a self-confessed killer, but The Trentonian could not immediately verify the case status against the co-defendant Perez.

Other violence

A 20-year-old city man suffered a gunshot wound to his right elbow about 4:45 p.m. Friday on the 100 block of Virginia Avenue in the South Ward, police said.

The victim was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle. He was admitted in stable condition at Capital Health Regional Medical Center and told police he was in the area of Virginia Avenue when he heard gunshots. The victim, realizing he had been shot in the arm, got into a vehicle that dropped him off at the trauma center, police said.

Authorities on Saturday did not announce any arrests or release any suspect descriptions in the incident, which remains under investigation by the Mercer County Shooting Response Team.

Trenton man says he was high, drunk can’t recall beating city activist to death

Isaac Avilucea — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 13:12:24 -0400

A convicted felon released from state prison just four months ago was caught by surveillance cameras brutally beating a 72-year-old Trenton man, prosecutors said.
In response, the suspected killer has claimed he was high and drunk and has no recollection of the assault which has left the community reeling.

“He didn’t know what occurred,” said Kathleen Redpath-Perez, the attorney for suspected killer Antonio Sloan.
Redpath-Perez said it was appropriate to hold judgement until all the facts come out before deciding whether Sloan is a “cold-blooded murderer.”

Sloan, known on the streets as “Riot,” is charged with counts of murder, felony murder and robbery after prosecutors said he beat, stomped and robbed well-known city resident James Wells so severely he eventually succumbed to his injuries. He has denied he had any reason to rob Wells.

Antonio Sloan

“If nothing cries out for a heinous crime, this does,” said Skylar Weissman, assistant prosecutor and chief of the homicide unit.

Sloan had his bail maintained at $1 million at his bail appearance before Superior Court Judge Timothy Lydon in Mercer County criminal court.

Sloan was caught on camera during three separate sequences beating Wells around 8 p.m. Sept. 13 in the area of East Hanover and North Broad streets.

The 72-year-old man appeared unconscious at one point, sprawled out on the ground, when Sloan stomped him in the head three times, Weissman said.

After he finished beating him, Sloan rifled through Wells’ pockets looking for belongings, prosecutors said. Sloan fled from the scene and was later arrested at his home on Second Street by the U.S. Marshals Regional Task Force, along with officers from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office.

Wells sustained facial fractures and lost a tooth in the assault which led to the “eventual demise” of Wells, Weissman said. He died Sept. 24 as family members stood beside him at Capital Health Regional Medical Center.

Prosecutors provided no sweeping motive for the crime, which has shocked city residents and family, friends and supporters of Wells, a well-known city activist who also owned and operated Wellsy’s Deli on North Montgomery Street.

Known as “Wellsy” or “Jimmy,” Wells was an outspoken Trenton activist who ran unsuccessfully for Trenton City Council in 2002. He graduated from Ewing High School and served in the U.S. Army.

As for Sloan, he has an extensive checkered past which includes a “propensity for violence,” Weissman said.
Sloan had accidentally shooting himself in the genitals on the 400 block of North Montgomery Street in 2012. He had been running away from the scene of a car fire when his gun went off as he was scaling a wall.

Sloan was indicted on counts of arson and weapons offenses, but Superior Court Judge Gerald Council sentenced him to between one and three years for weapons, saying that “shooting himself in the groin should be lesson enough that guns are dangerous.
Sloan spent about a year in prison and was released from the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility on May 2015.

He has also been convicted of receiving stolen property and spent 14 months in prison before he was paroled. State records show he was sent back to state prison for violating the conditions of his early release.

Sloan was found delinquent as a juvenile of a charge of aggravated assault, prosecutors said.

Man who shot his own genitals arrested in James Wells slaying

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 13:07:42 -0400

Antonio Sloan

A convicted Trenton man who was recently released from state prison for accidentally shooting himself in the genitals with his own gun has been arrested Wednesday morning on the most serious of charges: Felony murder.

Antonio “Riot” Sloan, 25, was being held on $1 million bail on charges accusing him of being the suspect who slayed 72-year-old James Wells in a vicious attack.

Wells was a well-respected Trenton man who died last week from critical injuries he had suffered in the Sept. 13 brutal beating.

U.S. Marshals from a regional task force, along with officers from the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Sloan at his Trenton residence about 8 a.m. on Second Street, authorities said.

Sloan is accused of punching and kicking Wells in the body and head in the area of East Hanover and North Broad streets about 8 p.m. Sept. 13. Sloan fled from the scene after allegedly reaching into Wells’ pocket and removing personal property, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Wells died Sept. 24 from his critical injuries as family members stood beside him at Capital Health Regional Medical Center.

Police have been familiar with Sloan well before he became a murder suspect.

Sloan’s adult convictions in the New Jersey criminal justice system began with him reporting to a state prison on May 21, 2010, for receiving stolen property. He was released on parole 14 months later, but he was hauled back into prison shortly thereafter for violating his parole, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

When his sentencing for receiving stolen property ended on March 1, 2012, Sloan ended up getting himself into more trouble about three months later when he accidentally shot himself in the genitals on May 27, 2012, on the 400 block of North Montgomery Street.

Prior to shooting himself that night, Sloan was trying to run away from the scene of a car fire. His gun reportedly discharged as he was attempting to jump over a wall.

A grand jury indicted Sloan on multiple charges in August 2012, including arson and weapons offenses, but a judge ultimately sentenced Sloan to serve one-to-three years in a state prison on a basic weapons charge. Superior Court Judge Gerald Council at the time said Sloan’s action of “shooting himself in the groin should be lesson enough that guns are dangerous,” The Trentonian reported at the time.

Sloan began serving his weapons sentence on Feb. 25, 2014, and was released from the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility on May 7, 2015, according to the DOC.

Four months after being released from state prison, Sloan allegedly unleashed the deadly attack on Wells.

James Wells

Also known as “Wellsy” or “Jimmy,” Wells was an outspoken Trenton activist who ran unsuccessfully for Trenton City Council in 2002. A graduate of Ewing High School, Wells served in the U.S. Army and once ran a business — Wellsy’s Deli — in a building he owned on North Montgomery Street, according to his obituary.

The felony murder and robbery charges against Sloan are the result of an investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force. Video footage was obtained by detectives, and Sloan was identified as a suspect through video analysis and witness statements, prosecutors said.

Sloan could serve a life sentence if convicted on the felony murder charge.

“If you are convicted of felony murder, in addition to receiving a prison sentence, you could be fined up to $200,000 and ordered to pay restitution to cover funeral or possibly other expenses on behalf of the victim,” New Jersey criminal trial attorney William D. Ware said on his website.

Wells’ funeral service will begin 9 a.m. Friday at Campbell Funeral Chapel in Trenton. Due to his honorable service in the U.S. armed forces, Wells will be buried at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Newtown, Pa.

Trenton man dies following Sept. 13 street assault

Scott Ketterer — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:13:54 -0400

Police said that a 72-year-old man who was assaulted on Sept. 13, has died.

According to police James Wells was assaulted in the 100 block of East Hanover Street. Trenton Police Lt. Stephen Varn police were detailed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center around 8:56 p.m. on September 13.

Upon arrival, the officers spoke with Wells, whom police said was unable to provide much information as to what had occurred. Wells died at the hospital, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Trenton Police Lt.Stephen Varn said that Wells was admitted to the hospital with numerous injuries to his head and face. Varn said that despite limited information, police were able to locate a scene in the 100 block of East Hanover Street.

Varn further stated that the 72-year-old had passed away Thursday night.

The Prosecutor’s Office said that their Homicide Task Force was notified of Wells’ death on Friday. According to Kathleen Petrucci of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office, the death was ruled a homicide as of Friday afternoon. No arrests have been made, authorities said.

Wells’ death remains under investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task force, anyone with information is asked to call (609) 989-6406 or the Trenton Police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663.