Rodney Burke | Homicide Watch Trenton

Disabled Trenton man’s 2014 violent death remains partially unsolved

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:25:50 -0500

One suspect remains at large in the slaying of intellectually disabled Trenton man Rodney Burke, but a larger degree of justice has been served in the murder case.

Three co-defendants who participated in the deadly November 2014 robbery-turned-homicide are serving state prison sentences after admitting their roles in the violent crime.

(From left) Alexandria Gomez, Kenneth Hines and Jaquan Dallas

Jaquan Dallas, 22, of Trenton, fired the fatal shots that took Burke’s life and is serving a 25-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter.

Self-confessed killer Alexandria “Alexa” Gomez, 33, of Trenton, also known as Alexandra Gomez, is serving 15 years of hard time at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women after pleading guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter for directing Burke into harm’s way.

Kenneth Hines, 38, of Trenton, is serving 17 years of incarceration after pleading guilty to first-degree armed robbery as the getaway driver in the plot.

Dallas, Gomez, Hines and a fourth perpetrator who has not yet been captured or identified all conspired to commit an armed robbery that turned into a homicide of 48-year-old Burke, who was gunned down about 2 a.m. Nov. 4, 2014, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Police found the victim inside his apartment on the 1000 block of South Broad Street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Medics rushed Burke to Saint Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Burke, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18, had been repeatedly robbed during the last three years of his life, according to The Trentonian’s award-winning reporting on his life and death. “Around the first of the month when he got his disability check, they would take his money from him,” his mother Gloria Burke told The Trentonian in a November 2014 interview. “He never told me who was doing it; he was scared. They took his money all of the time.”

Rodney Burke

Burke was originally from New Brunswick but resided in Trenton during the last few years of his life, according to his family. He was often victimized at his former city residence on Hamilton Avenue, prompting him to seek safer housing in another part of Trenton. Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare, however, relocated Burke to a troubled South Broad Street apartment that was known to be a hotspot for illegal activity, and Burke was shot and killed several weeks later, according to his family.

The prosecution

A few weeks after the slaying, police arrested Hines Nov. 18, 2014, charging him with accomplice liability murder. Police arrested Gomez the following day as an accomplice to murder and eventually nabbed Dallas on March 31, 2015, charging him with accomplice liability murder, according to court records.

A grand jury handed up an indictment on Aug. 12, 2015, charging the trio with armed robbery, murder and weapons offenses.

Dallas pleaded guilty Sept. 19, 2016, to first-degree aggravated manslaughter, a downgraded offense from the original murder charges. The other charges against Dallas were dismissed when he received his 25-year prison sentence on Nov. 18, 2016. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence behind bars and will be subjected to five years of parole supervision upon release, according to court records.

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Thomas Brown resentenced Dallas on Dec. 1, 2017, hammering him with the same quarter-century length of incarceration. Brown signed a new judgment of conviction on Jan. 24, amending the record to properly reflect that Dallas has 611 days of jail credit and 378 days of prior service credit. Dallas is currently incarcerated at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility and is scheduled to be released on June 15, 2036, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Hines pleaded guilty to first-degree armed robbery on May 9, 2017. The other charges against him got dismissed on July 7, 2017, when Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw sentenced him to 17 years of incarceration to be followed by five years of parole supervision, court records show.

Pursuant to the No Early Release Act, Hines must serve 85 percent of his sentence behind bars before he can become eligible for parole. He is currently incarcerated at Mid-State Correctional Facility and is scheduled to be released on April 29, 2029, according to the DOC.

Gomez pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter on April 18, 2016, and had her other charges dismissed when she received a 15-year prison sentence on Aug. 4, 2017. Judge Brown ordered Gomez to serve 85 percent of the sentence behind bars pursuant to the No Early Release Act to be followed by five years of parole supervision.

Brown found mitigating factors that could explain why Gomez got the least amount of incarceration in the case. “The imprisonment of the defendant would entail excessive hardship to herself or her dependents,” Brown said in his judgment of conviction. “The willingness of the defendant to cooperate with law enforcement authorities” is also one of the mitigating factors Brown cited in finding Gomez’s negotiated sentence to be “fair and in the interest of justice.”

Gomez has a history of violent crime. She previously committed first-degree Trenton robberies on Jan. 7, 2003, and Jan. 8, 2003, and got arrested on Jan. 9, 2003. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced in May 2004 to 10 years of incarceration to be followed by five years of parole supervision, according to court records.

Gomez served time in state prison from May 14, 2004, to June 19, 2012. She served another stint of incarceration from March 15, 2013, to Aug. 14, 2014, after violating parole. Then she killed Burke three months later by setting him up to get shot. She is currently incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women and is scheduled to be released Oct. 28, 2028, according to the state DOC.

Hines, Gomez and Dallas are serving hefty prison sentences, but a fourth suspect remains unidentified and at large. Authorities urge anyone with information on the at-large murder suspect to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or the Trenton Police Department’s Confidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.

Convicted killer apologizes for fatal shooting of disabled man

Isaac Avilucea — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 15:49:33 -0500

Jaquan Dallas

It was the knock at the door no mother wants to hear.

Gloria Burke’s landlord stood outside, accompanied by two detectives.

The detectives showed Gloria a picture asked her if she recognized the man in the photo. She said it was her son.

They paused for what seemed like minutes.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” the detective said. “Your son was just murdered.”

Looking back at relatives of the slain disabled man, first-time felon Jaquan Dallas apologized for pulling the trigger during a botched robbery in November 2014 but stressed he didn’t intend to kill Rodney Burke.

“For every action, there’s a reaction,” the 21-year-old Dallas said in criminal court Friday. “I pray one day y’all can forgive me.”

Burke wasn’t the target of the Nov. 4, 2014 armed heist of a South Broad Street apartment. But he paid with his life for confronting Dallas, one of four people involved in the robbery plot.

Dallas admitted in September to a lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter and was sent to prison for 25 years by Judge Thomas Brown.

Two others, Kenneth Hines and Alexa Gomez, were arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy while another person was never caught.

Rodney Burke

Brown called the number of guns flooding the capital city streets “ridiculous” and said it contributed to countless deaths over the years.

The murder of the 48-year-old Burke pierced the crime-plagued city’s bleeding heart.

Dallas was 20 years old when he gunned down Burke, who remained conscious after he was shot but was unable to identify his killer as he was being dragged inside the residence the last moments of his life.

He was found inside an apartment on the 1000 block of South Broad Street, shot several times around 2 a.m. Medics rushed him to Saint Francis Medical Center, where he died.

Burke, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18, had been repeatedly robbed during the last three years of his life, according to The Trentonian’s award-winning reporting on his murder.

“Around the first of the month when he got his disability check, they would take his money from him,” his mother Gloria Burke told The Trentonian in an interview in November 2014. “He never told me who was doing it; he was scared. They took his money all of the time.”

Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Petrucci read prepared statements from Burke’s mother and sister as relatives sobbed in benches behind her.

Alexandria Gomez

Burke’s mother called the killing a “senseless act” that robbed her of her oldest son. She said he remains “forever in our hearts.”

Burke’s sister, Carla, admonished Dallas in her statement for “pulling the trigger without a second thought.”

She said her brother was a giving soul who went to the train station and brought the homeless hot drinks.

“While today may be bad for you, we have to live with this every day,” she wrote.

Offering condolences to the victim’s family, Dallas’ attorney, Tina Frost, said the punishment is significant for her client, who will spend more time in prison than the “years that he’s been on earth.”

Kenneth Hines (Mercer County Prosecutor's Office)

She said her client, a high school dropout who grew up fatherless and has fathered kids of his own, hopes to use the time behind to better his life, starting by getting his diploma.

The case isn’t over for the Burke family.

Gomez is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter for 15 years.

Hines rejected plea offers and is set to go on trial in May.

Petrucci recognized nothing will satisfy Burke’s family but hoped the sentence provided “some justice.”

Murder indictments handed up in Trenton shooting death of mentally ill victim

Trentonian Staff — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 19:07:28 -0400

By Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman

Rodney Burke

Three men accused of shooting and killing intellectually disabled city resident Rodney Burke during an attempted robbery last year have all been indicted this week on first-degree felony murder charges and related offenses, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday.

The indictment alleges Kenneth Hines, 35, Alexandria Gomez, 31, and Jaquan Dallas, 20, all conspired to commit an armed robbery, which led to the death of Burke, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Burke, 48, was found inside his apartment on the 1000 block of South Broad Street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds about 2 a.m. Nov. 4, 2014. Medics rushed Burke to Saint Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Kenneth Hines

“Around the first of the month when he got his disability check, they would take his money from him,” his mother Gloria Burke told The Trentonian in an interview last November. “He never told me who was doing it; he was scared. They took his money all of the time.”

Burke was originally from New Brunswick but resided in Trenton during the last few years of his life, according to his family. He was often victimized at his former city residence on Hamilton Avenue, prompting him to seek safer housing in another part of Trenton. Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare, however, relocated Burke to a troubled South Broad Street apartment that was known to be a hotspot for illegal activity, and Burke was murdered several weeks later, according to his family.

Jaquan Dallas

Police found Burke inside his South Broad Street apartment suffering from the lethal gunshot wounds, but police said they believe he was shot elsewhere.

Indicted suspects Hines, Gomez and Dallas all remain incarcerated, but a fourth suspect remains unidentified and at large. Authorities urge anyone with information on the at-large murder suspect to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or the Trenton police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663.

One of the men charged in connection to killing of Rodney Burke admits to plot to rob him

Isaac Avilucea — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 10:44:20 -0400

TRENTON >> One of three people charged as accomplices in the fatal shooting death of Rodney Burke admitted he was involved in a plot to rob the 48-year-old but denied any involvement in his murder, prosecutors said.

But Assistant Prosecutor Lew Korngut said at a bail hearing Tuesday authorities believe Jaquan Dallas, 20, is one of two men who could have fired the fatal shot that killed Burke in the early-morning hours of Nov. 4, outside of a South Broad Street apartment, following a botched robbery.

Rodney Burke

A second male captured on surveillance fleeing the scene shortly after witnesses heard gunfire remains unidentified and at large, prosecutors said.

Two others, Kenneth Hines, 34, and Alexa Gomez, 30, have been arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy. Gomez is accused of setting up the robbery while Hines is believed to have driven the getaway car, prosecutors said.

Witnesses said Gomez, who is being held on $1 million, was acting suspicious and asked Burke to go with her to the store shortly before the murder. Hines, who remains incarcerated on $750,000 bail, was on crutches at the time he was behind the wheel of a white Suzuki SUV, prosecutors said.

Korngut said at the bail hearing surveillance shows a man authorities believe is Dallas talking on a cell phone with his cousin, Hines. Hines’ phone records revealed a call traced back to a cell phone used by Dallas around the time of the murder, prosecutors said.

Further, Dallas admitted he was in the area on the night witnesses say they saw two men fleeing from the apartment after shots rang out, Korngut said.

Hines reportedly told Dallas he knew of a “easy” robbery victim, but Dallas told authorities he was spooked because something “didn’t feel right,” prosecutors said.

Burke remained conscious after he was shot but was unable to identify the shooter as he was dragged inside the residence, Korngut said. He later died at a local hospital.

Sam Goldberg, Dallas’ attorney, said evidence against his client is “flimsy” and circumstantial.

Dallas, who also faces an unrelated drug charge, was incarcerated on warrants at the time her was charged with Burke’s death. He has several disorderly persons convictions and served 18 months in a juvenile facility for simple assault, prosecutors said.

Mental health counselors knew South Broad Street apartment was hotspot for crime

Penny Ray — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 16:58:05 -0500

A passerby stops to view a makeshift memorial in honor of Rodney Burke on Hamilton Avenue. Nov. 6, 2014 - Penny Ray

Counselors working at Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare knew that a building on South Broad Street was a hotspot for illegal activity months before they chose to move Rodney Burke into an apartment there.

“The counselor said, ‘Now looking back, we think we failed him,’” his sister Crystal Burke said.

Rodney Burke, 48, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside his South Broad Street apartment around 2 a.m. on Nov. 4; he later died at the hospital.

According to his family, Burke was diagnosed with schizophrenia and also had a “lower than average” IQ. He was raised in New Brunswick. For about a year and a half, though, Burke lived in city housing provided by Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare (GTBHC). He used to live in an apartment building on Hamilton Avenue occupied by at least seven other people who are in transitional housing programs. During that time, though, Burke and the other occupants of the building were repeatedly victimized by street hustlers who took advantage of their disabilities. Then, about a month before his death, Burke was moved to the 1000 block of South Broad Street.

According to police documents obtained by The Trentonian, on July 16, 2014, a GTBHC counselor named Len Baum and a man who lived in the exact building where Burke was later moved to found guns and drug paraphernalia in the apartment. The items did not belong to the man, according to documents, and he told police that he was moving out of the apartment because he “didn’t feel safe.”

The man had lived in that building along with other GTBHC clients for about three years, and he told police that “there was a lot of hostility, drugs, fights and arguments going on there.” The man told police that people often sold cocaine and heroin out of an apartment in that building, and that “crack heads” would often ring his doorbell looking to buy drugs.

Documents state that Baum and the man found the guns and paraphernalia stash as they were walking through the apartment one last time before the man gave the keys back to GTBHC. The man told police he believed someone climbed through a window and stashed the items in his apartment. He said it was easy to break into his apartment because the kitchen window didn’t lock. He also said he’s witnessed several men with guns standing outside his building, and that they took the weapons into the house a few times.

Rodney Burke

About three months later, GTBHC moved Rodney Burke into that exact building even though one client had already chose to move out because of the illegal activity. According to Crystal Burke, after her brother’s death a GTBHC counselor other than Baum admitted that the agency had made a mistake by placing Rodney in that apartment building.

“The case manager said it was a mistake to move him,” Crystal Burke said.

How such a mistake could be made remains unanswered. According to Trenton Police, in the past two years, officers were dispatched to investigate illegal activity in that exact apartment building at least 30 times. The complaints were mostly in regards to loud noise, disorderly persons, theft and drug activity, police said. But the 1000 block of South Broad Street is also a hotspot for prostitution. Crystal Burke said she immediately knew the area was worse than her brother’s Hamilton Avenue apartment when she visited him on South Broad Street for the first time. She witnessed a man and a woman sitting on a bike and they both looked like they were “high” on drugs, Crystal said.

“It didn’t feel right,” Crystal said. “I can’t explain the feeling; it was eerie. I was more comfortable with him on Hamilton Avenue.”

South Ward Councilman George Muschal said the 1000 block of South Broad Street has been a problem area for quite some time.

“Ever since I took office about six years ago,” Muschal said. “That whole area is infested with drugs and prostitution.”

Police said the IMPAACT Unit often targets that block and a number of arrests have been made in that part of town. But the lack of police manpower makes it difficult to completely rid the area of crime.

“I would put it on my top five list of bad areas,” Muschal said. “I receive complaints about that area all of the time.”

When asked why Burke was moved to South Broad Street and whether he personally knew about the amount of crime in the area, GTBHC CEO John Monahan said, “No comment.”

Crystal Burke said her brother was moved from Hamilton Avenue because his counselor thought Rodney was the cause of repeated break-ins at that property. That belief was based on Rodney’s impulse to let friends who protected him sleep in his apartment. Rodney wasn’t allowed to have people stay with him, Crystal said, but he did so because gang members used to kick in the door and take over his apartment.

“He said they’d play cards all night, and they broke all of his furniture,” Crystal said.

So far, two people have been arrested in connection with Burke’s death: Kenneth Hines and Alexandria Gomez. Prosecutors say the two of them, along with two other men, planned a robbery, which resulted in Burke’s murder. The other two suspects have yet to be apprehended.

People with intellectual disabilities have a four to 10 times greater risk of becoming victims of crime compared to those without disabilities. But there is no way to know exactly how many people with intellectual disabilities are victimized in the U.S. each year.

According to the agency’s tax records, in fiscal year 2012, GTBHC provided supportive residential services to at least 291 clients who had been discharged from a state psychiatric hospital. Rodney Burke was one of those clients.

“They need to move those mentally ill patients out (of the city),” Crystal said. “Those are target houses in Trenton.”

Admitted getaway driver in robbery murder has bail reduced

Isaac Avilucea — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 11:26:22 -0500

A Trenton man has admitted driving the getaway car in a botched robbery that led to the murder of a 48-year-old man, prosecutors said, but he is not the one who pulled trigger.

Kenneth Hines (Mercer County Prosecutor's Office)

Kenneth Hines, 34, is charged with murder as an accomplice and conspiracy in the shooting death of Rodney Burke and is locked up at Mercer County Correction Center. But police are still searching for two men, including the gunman, who were involved in a Nov. 4 plot to rob Burke when he emerged from his 1016 South Broad Street apartment, prosecutors said at Hines’ bail hearing Wednesday.

For his part, Hines has admitted dropping off one of the co-defendants, Alexa Gomez, 30, at the South Broad Street home, which prosecutors said was a drug stash house, sometime before the murder. He returned some time later, accompanied by two men, prosecutors said.

Gomez was inside the home with Burke and two others when she convinced him to leave the apartment with her around 1:45 a.m. Witnesses said the woman acted suspicious and glanced at her phone and out the window. Outside, Hines waited behind the wheel of a white Suzuki SUV with the unidentified men for Gomez and Burke to emerge from the apartment, prosecutors said.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Lewis Korngut said another man went downstairs to lock the door behind Gomez and Burke when he heard multiple gunshots ring out. He found Burke sprawled out bleeding in front of the apartment. The two men, along with Gomez, climbed into the vehicle and sped off, Korngut said. Burke died a short time later at the hospital.

Gomez was tracked to New York after she absconded from a hallway house. She remains locked up at Rikers Island in New York on unrelated charges, county prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said. It’s unclear when she will be extradited to New Jersey to answer to charges of murder and conspiracy, and her first court appearance has not been scheduled.

Hines appeared by video for a bail hearing before Judge Gerald Council. His initial bail was set at $1 million, but was reduced to $750,000 cash.

Hines told police he drove Gomez, who he has a child with, to Burke’s home and returned shortly before the shooting. He claims he didn’t know the men who got into his vehicle, Korngut said. But surveillance captures two black males getting out of Hines’ SUV and getting back into it after the shooting, Korngut said.

Korngut didn’t say whether police found shell casings at the murder scene.

Hines has five prior felony convictions and served prison time for weapons offenses. In 2004, he was sentenced to 15 years for being a felon in possession of a handgun. Hines is being additionally being charged with drug possession as a result of his involvment in the murder.

Residents of city building were repeatedly victimized before police were hired to stand guard

Penny Ray — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 18:02:04 -0500

A makeshift memorial for Rodney Burke that was built on Hamilton Avenue. Nov. 9, 2014 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)

The residents of an apartment building on Hamilton Avenue were repeatedly victimized for at least a year and a half before Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare hired police to guard the property.

Forty-eight-year-old Rodney Burke, who was shot and killed on Nov. 4, was one of those victims.

According to his family, at the age of 18, Burke was diagnosed with schizophrenia. His mother Gloria Burke also said Rodney had a “lower than average” IQ, but she could not remember the score of his latest intelligence test. Gloria said her son was beaten and robbed repeatedly while living in New Brunswick, and as a result, he refused to move back home after his latest stay at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.

After his release from the hospital, Burke lived in city housing provided by Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare (GTBHC). He used to live on Hamilton Avenue, where store owners and a small community of street hustlers did their best to protect him from harm. But that protection wasn’t enough, family and friends say, because people used to repeatedly rob Burke of his disability check.

Rodney Burke (Contributed Photo)

Burke’s family and friends in New Brunswick called him “Bow Leg.” But his friends in Trenton knew him as “Bubba.” The people interviewed for this story said Burke had a friendly, “childlike” personality and would never harm anyone.

“The (street hustlers) around here are like predators,” James Williams, who works at a liquor store on Hamilton Avenue, said. “They took advantage of Bubba; they knew when he got his (disability) check. One night a guy tried to rob him. Bubba stood his ground, but this guy kept trying to strong-arm him. The guy pulled a gun and Bubba came in here and we called the cops.”

About a month before his death, GTBHC moved Burke to South Broad Street, where he was no longer protected by people who understood his mental state. That left Burke vulnerable to gang members, drug dealers and other street hustlers who saw an opportunity to take advantage of him, according to family and friends.

Trenton Police spokesperson Lt. Steven Varn said GTBHC didn’t hire police protection for the Hamilton Avenue building until July 3 of this year. An officer was originally hired to guard the property for an eight-hour period, Varn said. But on Oct. 24, GTBHC cut the protection back to a four-hour period.

Burke’s family and local residents say the building houses at least seven other people who are in transitional housing programs, and that they were repeatedly victimized over the course of the year and half before Rodney’s death. Some of those incidents were not reported to police, Rodney’s sister Crystal Burke said, but “the counselor was aware of what was going on at that house.” Moreover, the incidents were occurring outside of the hours when police were later hired to protect the property.

According to Trenton Police, only four burglary or assault incidents were reported at that Hamilton Avenue residence in all of 2013 and so far this year. On Nov. 10, 2013, the building was burglarized. On Nov. 25, 2013, a resident was sitting outside of the building when two suspects approached and started a verbal altercation with him. The confrontation turned physical, and after assaulting the resident, the suspects fled on foot. In December 2013, someone entered the building through a kitchen window on the rear roof of the third-floor and stole furniture from an apartment. And on June 27 of this year, a group of suspects kicked on a resident’s door and then assaulted the man when he opened the apartment.

Except for the burglary in December, which the victim reported occurred sometime within a two-week period, police say all of those incidents happened outside of the time frame that officers were later hired to stand guard. Burke’s family said he was repeatedly robbed over the course of his time in the Hamilton Avenue apartment, and one street hustler said people used to wait outside for someone to exit the building and then rush inside and victimize the residents.

Although TPD was hired to guard the property in July, police were not exactly aware of an ongoing problem until a couple of months ago — around the time Rodney was moved to South Broad Street — when someone notified the department’s community affairs detective. Police said they are unable to pinpoint the exact date the complaint was made, nor do they know who eventually notified law enforcement. The police department now regularly deploys a patrol car to that area, according to Lt. Varn.

About two months before Rodney was moved to South Broad Street, Crystal Burke said, someone stole his phone. It was the only form of communication Burke had to stay in contact with his family who live in New Brunswick. Crystal said she called the phone and a man answered and claimed that Rodney sold it to him.

“My brother said, ‘I didn’t sell him my phone, he took it,’” Crystal said. “The guy still has the phone and I gave the detectives the phone number.”

Alexandria Gomez

Kenneth Hines

Prosecutors have not said whether that phone led to the murder charges filed against Kenneth Hines and Alexandria Gomez, who allegedly conspired to commit a robbery which resulted in Burke’s death.

Burke’s family said his case manager believed Rodney was responsible for the break-ins because he sometimes allowed street hustlers who protected him to sleep in his apartment. That was against the rules, Crystal said, and other residents in the building complained to GTBHC. Rodney was then moved to the building on South Broad Street.

“Greater Trenton (Behavioral Healthcare) said there was too many gang members hanging out around the house,” Gloria Burke said. “Everyone in the house has mental health issues and they were supposed to place them in a safe environment.”

About a week before Burke was murdered, he asked his sister to drive him from Hamilton Avenue, where he spent most of his time, to his new South Broad Street apartment. He made the request, Crystal said, because a man who Rodney claimed had repeatedly robbed him was trying to figure out where he lived.

“The last time I saw him he said, ‘Sis, can you take me home because (name redacted) is trying to find out where I live,’” Crystal said.

A week later, Burke was found inside his home suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at the hospital.

Burke’s family feels that there should be around-the-clock protection at the transitional housing apartments where mentally ill patients are living.

“Trenton is a killing ground,” Crystal said. “Mentally ill people should not be living amongst all these gangs in Trenton. It’s setting them up for failure.”

Researchers have found that people with intellectual disabilities have a four to 10 times greater risk of becoming victims of crime compared to those without disabilities. But there is no way to know exactly how many people with intellectual disabilities are victimized in the U.S. each year.

Phillip Lubitz, Associate Director of the state’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI NJ), said there is no specific legislation requiring housing providers of the mentally ill to hire security guards when patients are repeatedly victimized. But he said providers are expected to work with local police to find a solution to the problem, or find alternative places for patients to live. Finding homes for mentally ill patients in safer neighborhoods, though, is not as simple as it sounds.

“Stigma plays a dual role in this,” Lubitz said. “It’s hard to find community acceptance for people with a mental illness. So, you have to consider whether some of these residences are really resulting from the difficulty that mental health programs have in obtaining homes in safer neighborhoods or more suburban locations.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act are meant to address this issue, but wealthier communities may have more resources to fight the placement of community homes in their towns, Lubitz said.

“So, stigma is still alive and well and it does reduce many of the opportunities that may be available to people with mental illness whether or not it’s in violation of the law,” Lubitz said. “It’s easier and more expedient — especially when there’s the current pressure to discharge people from state hospitals — to place these residents in a community like Trenton.”

Trenton murder victim diagnosed with a mental illness was repeatedly robbed by 'street hustlers'

Penny Ray — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 18:51:29 -0500

Kevin Smith stands near a makeshift memorial he built for Rodney Burke. Nov. 9, 2014 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)

Rodney Burke lived in housing provided by Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare and he was moved to South Broad Street about a month before he was murdered.

Burke, 48, used to live on Hamilton Avenue, where store owners and a small community of street hustlers did their best to protect him from harm. But when he moved to South Broad Street, Burke was no longer protected by people who understood his mental state. That left Burke vulnerable to gang members, drug dealers and other street hustlers who saw an opportunity to take advantage of him, according to family and friends.

Burke was shot and killed on Nov. 4. He was found inside his home, but police believe he was shot elsewhere. Prosecutors have charged Kenneth Hines and Alexandria Gomez with murder and conspiracy in connection with Burke’s death. Prosecutors say the pair conspired to commit a robbery, which resulted in the killing.

Sadly, that wasn't the first time Burke had been robbed. Family and friends say he was repeatedly beaten and robbed for at least the past three years.

“Around the first of the month when he got his disability check, they would take his money from him,” his mother Gloria Burke said. “He never told me who was doing it; he was scared. They took his money all of the time.”

According to his mother, at the age of 18, Rodney Burke was diagnosed with schizophrenia. His mother also said Rodney had a “lower than average” IQ, but she could not remember the score of his latest intelligence test. Store owners and street hustlers on Hamilton Avenue described Burke as having the personality of a young child who would never harm anyone.

Rodney Burke (Contributed Photo)

Burke was originally from New Brunswick. He graduated from Bonnie Brae, which is a school for eight to 18-year-old boys in crisis. His family and friends in New Brunswick called him “Bow Leg,” but his friends in Trenton knew him as “Bubba.” Business owners on Hamilton Avenue said Burke was unlike others who walked the block looking for money: instead of asking for a free handout, he asked for work.

“He was a childlike, innocent guy,” James Williams, who works at a liquor store on Hamilton Avenue, said. “The (street hustlers) around here are like predators and they took advantage of Bubba whenever he received his (disability) check. It’s like they killed a kid. Bubba was good-natured and didn’t bother anyone.”

“He would actually come in here and ask me for work,” owner of Mannino’s Pizza Alex Babino said. “I let him sweep floors or clean windows so he could feel like he earned that slice of pizza. He was the only person on this street who wouldn’t bother anyone. It breaks my heart that he’s gone.”

Gloria Burke said her son was beaten and robbed repeatedly over the course of a year while living in New Brunswick. Rodney was then readmitted into Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, Gloria said, where he received treatment for about seven months before entering a transitional housing program. Gloria said she wanted Rodney to move back to New Brunswick, but he refused. So, about a year and a half ago, Burke moved into an apartment building on Hamilton Avenue occupied by at least seven other people who are in transitional housing programs.

“They were robbing him for about a year before he moved to Trenton,” Gloria Burke said. “Then he would stay in the house for about four or five days before going back outside. He always refused to come back (home) because of what happened to him in the past. Greater Trenton (Behavioral Healthcare) promised me they were going to provide security in the building where he lived, but they never did.”

John Monahan, CEO of Greater Trenton Behavioral Healthcare (GTBHC), declined to comment on several questions, but he said, “We have security staff that work with us whenever there’s a client that needs any kind of support.” Monahan would not disclose the name of the agency that provides security for GTBHC clients. The organization’s tax forms, which are very detailed and seemingly transparent, do not list an itemized expense for security services.

Burke’s family and friends say security was not provided for any of the occupants of the apartment buildings on Hamilton Avenue and South Broad Street. They also say Burke was repeatedly robbed each month. Rodney’s family said they never notified police about the robberies, but “the counselor was aware of what was going on at that house,” his sister Crystal Burke said.

“My brother never bothered anyone, but people took advantage of him because he was mentally challenged,” Crystal said. “The house was taken over by drug addicts. They’d play cards, bring in different women and have sex all night, sell drugs out of the house and dare (my brother) to say anything.”

Several people interviewed for this story said street hustlers with guns used to wait outside of the Hamilton Avenue building and force Rodney to let them inside. Once inside, the gunmen would kick in all of the apartment doors and rob the tenants. Crystal said she has chased several “young guys” who she knew did not reside in the building off of the porch. In fact, several people said Rodney was often afraid to walk home, which was about two blocks from the businesses where he felt protected. Burke’s family said they notified his case manager about the incidents several times, but the counselor believed Rodney was the cause of the break-ins.

Crystal said her brother often wept when he told her about the men who were repeatedly robbing him, and that he sometimes asked people he trusted to stay in his apartment as guardians. But that too upset Rodney’s case manager, Crystal said, because others in the building complained. Due to the number of break-ins on Hamilton Avenue, Rodney was moved to the building on South Broad Street about a month before he was murdered, Crystal said.

“That was against the rules; he couldn't let anyone stay with him,” Crystal said. “I told that to Bow Leg, but he said those were his friends and if they weren't there the gang members were going to kick in the door and take over his apartment.”

Licensed psychologist Dr. Nekeshia Hammond has never met the Burke family and she knows nothing about the circumstances surrounding Rodney’s living situation and untimely death. But she said “in general there needs to be more security for people with disabilities” who have been transitioned to live amongst society.

“This is a social issue and it’s problematic,” Hammond said.

Alexandria Gomez charged in connection with shooting death of Rodney Burke

Penny Ray — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:28:57 -0500

A second person has been charged in connection with the shooting death of 48-year-old Rodney Burke.

Alexandria Gomez, 30, is charged with murder and conspiracy, and prosecutors say she conspired with others to commit a robbery, which resulted in Burke’s death. Kenneth Hines, 34, was arrested last week and charged with those same offenses in connection with Burke's murder.

Around 2 a.m. on Nov. 4, police found Burke suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside his South Broad Street apartment. Burke was then taken to St. Francis Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Hines’ and Gomez's bail was set at $1 million cash or bond. Prosecutors say Gomez is currently being held at Rikers Island in New York on unrelated charges.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406. Or use the Trenton Police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663.

Kenneth Hines arrested, charged in connection with murder of Rodney Burke

Penny Ray — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 14:49:45 -0500

A Trenton man has been charged in connection with the murder of 48-year-old Rodney Burke.

Kenneth Hines, 34, is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree conspiracy, and prosecutors say he conspired with others to commit a robbery, which resulted in Burke’s death.

Police found Burke suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside his South Broad Street apartment around 2 a.m. on Nov. 4. Burke was then taken to St. Francis Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Kenneth Hines

Hines was arrested Tuesday after police conducted a traffic stop in the 200 block of Walnut Avenue and found him in possession of narcotics.

Hines’ bail was set at $1 million cash or bond.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide task force at (609) 989-6406 or the Trenton police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663.

Arrest made in Halloween Homicide, alleged killer found hiding under pile of clothes

Scott Ketterer — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 18:43:04 -0500

Authorities announced on Friday evening that police arrested Donte Jones, 23, of Trenton in connection with the murder of Levonza G. Thompson, 36, of Philadelphia.

According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's office, the 23 year-old was discovered hiding under a pile of clothes in the third floor attic of a home in the first block of Laurel Place.

Thompson was gunned down in the 200 block of Coolidge Avenue around 11:05 p.m. on Halloween. He was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later, the prosecutor's office said in the release.

The prosecutor’s office said witnesses reported Thompson had been involved in a struggle in the Oakland Park Apartments courtyard area when Jones allegedly pulled a handgun and fired multiple shots.

Jones was arrested Friday morning by members of the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force in a home on the first block of Laurel Place. He is facing murder and weapons charges and his bail has been set at $1 million cash only.

Thompson was the uncle of 23-year-old Naquan Ellis who was shot in June at the North 25 Housing Complex off of Calhoun Street. Ellis died at the hospital.

Jones’ arrest comes just one day after authorities charged Randy Kareem Washington, 33, in connection with the murders of 43-year-old George Jamison and 64-year-old Silas Johnson. He is also charged in connection with five armed robberies that occurred in Trenton between July and October.

Thompson was one of five people slain in a 10-day period, two of those occurring in less than 24-hours. Quran Brittingham was found dead on Monday, and hours later police responded to the 1000 block of South Broad Street to find Rodney Burke, 48, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Burke later died at St. Francis Medical Center.

Those homicides remain under investigation.

Man shot and killed Tuesday morning on South Broad Street

Penny Ray — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 05:41:04 -0500

A city man was shot and killed Tuesday morning.

It’s the city’s second reported homicide in less than 24 hours.

Police were dispatched to the 1000 block of South Broad Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday and found the victim, 48-year-old Rodney Burke, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Burke was then taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Prosecutors say the home where he was found is his residence. Police say Burke was found inside his home, but they believe he was shot elsewhere.

“We’re not sure how he got inside the home, but we believe he was shot outside,” Lt. Stephen Varn said.

Burke’s murder took place in the South Ward, where four homicides have occurred so far this year. As a comparison, 12 murders have taken place in the North Ward, nine have occurred in the West Ward and the East Ward has experienced four killings.

South Ward Councilman George Muschal said he looks forward to the day when more Trenton Police officers are patrolling the streets. But he said tips from residents play a large part in helping to reduce violent crime.

“Some of these homicides just cannot be prevented, and to point a finger at Mayor Jackson or the Police Director is misguided,” Muschal said. “We're doing everything we can do to increase the manpower of the department, but we need the citizens to pick up the phone. They're our eyes and ears. The residents know what’s going on, and they're the ones who make a difference.”

Acting Police Director Ernest Parrey Jr. said the department is working to bring back a handful of officers who previously worked for TPD, but have gone on to other positions after the 2011 layoffs. The officers will fill positions that have been open ever since other personnel retired. The department also expects 24 new recruits to graduate from the police academy in February, and the city has received a $1.5 million federal grant to hire 12 additional officers in the near future.

Some city residents, including a Trentonian columnist, have suggested that TPD officers should step out of their vehicles more often to engage citizens and build a stronger rapport.

Police investigate a homicide in the 1000 block of South Broad Street. (Penny Ray - Trentonian)

Director Parrey said patrol officers regularly leave their vehicles to engage the community, and it’s a practice that has been happening since he became Police Director. He acknowledged, however, that the manpower shortage prevents the department from placing an officer on every street corner.

“Right now it's difficult based upon the manpower we have,” Parrey said. “But all officers are already engaged in the process of getting out of their vehicles. They've been instructed by the patrol commander to conduct business checks, and this was long before L.A. Parker decided to write about it. I'm also out at least twice a week, and my commanders are out twice a week.”

Councilman Muschal, who spent 40 years as a TPD officer, said his constituents have also expressed an interest in seeing more police on bike and foot patrols. But he said it’s difficult for those officers to respond to crime scenes that are miles away from their current location.

“Everyone wants to see bike patrols, but when you do that, you leave another slot open,” Muschal said. “And if they're out walking and not with their car, they can't respond to a call that’s 20 blocks away; they’ll have to run back to their car. There's a lot of things that I'd like to see come back, but the manpower is not there.”

This year’s homicide toll is now 29.

Police have not said whether any arrests have been made in connection with Burke’s murder, nor have they disclosed a motive for the killing.

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at 609-989-6406. Or, call the Trenton police confidential tip line at 609-989-3663.

Tipsters may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tip line at 609-278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.