Tyrone King | Homicide Watch Trenton

2 self-confessed Trenton killers receive heavy prison sentences

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 20:22:23 -0500

Justice has been served.

Two self-confessed killers — Jose C. Garcia and Wade Williams — are now serving time in the big house.

Jose C. Garcia (left) and Wade Williams

Garcia, 20, of Hamilton, has been sentenced to 17 years of incarceration for stabbing 48-year-old Brenda Garzio to death. He stabbed the victim multiple times on the on the 900 block of South Broad Street in the capital city about 11:10 p.m. May 28, 2017.

Williams, 43, of Trenton, has been sentenced to 12 years of incarceration for shooting and killing 51-year-old Tyrone “Big Face” King Sr. in broad daylight Sept. 17, 2017. The slaying occurred on the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in North Trenton.

Tyrone King

Police arrested Garcia June 1, 2017, charging him with murder. He pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter last October and had his weapons offenses dismissed at the Jan. 9 sentencing hearing. He is currently incarcerated at the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility and is scheduled to be released Nov. 11, 2031, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

Brenda Garzio

Police arrested Williams Dec. 5, 2017, charging him with murder. He pleaded guilty last October to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and had his weapons offenses dismissed at his Jan. 4 sentencing hearing. The 6-foot-2-inch, 400-pound man is currently incarcerated at South Woods State Prison and is scheduled to be released Feb. 15, 2028, according to the DOC.

Williams was previously arrested in August 2013 for distributing drugs in Trenton. He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to four years of incarceration to be served concurrent to his 12-year prison sentence, DOC records show.

Garcia and Williams will both be subjected to five years of parole supervision upon release from state prison, according to court records.

Alleged killer indicted for murder of North Trenton man

Isaac Avilucea — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 10:44:46 -0500

The man accused of killing “Big Face” is in big trouble.

Wade Williams

A Mercer County grand jury has indicted 42-year-old Wade Williams, of Trenton, with the September slaying of Tyrone King, the North Trenton man known as “Big Face.”

He was gunned downed on the 900 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard where cops found him bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest on the floor of a deli. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Williams, a 300-pound disabled man who suffers from a spinal cord injury, is the alleged triggerman arrested in December by members of the county homicide task force and the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force in connection to the broad daylight Sept. 17 killing.

The state has surveillance footage, cellphone tower data and statements from confidential informants and an eyewitness to prove that Williams is the man who gunned down 51-year-old King, according to court documents.

At Williams’ detention hearing, attorney Robin Lord argued the state had a weak case against that amounted to “prosecution by rumor.”

Locked up at the Mercer County Correction Center, he faces counts of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and certain persons not to possess a firearm.

Judge detains 300-pound disabled man in murder of Tyrone King

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 17:19:14 -0500

A 300-pound disabled man who suffers from a spinal cord injury is the alleged gunman who shot and killed 51-year-old Tyrone “Big Face” King Sr. in broad daylight Sept. 17.

Wade Williams, 42, appeared in court Wednesday in a wheelchair and sporting an orange jumpsuit as his defense attorney Robin Lord suggested it would be “cruel and unusual punishment” for the handicapped city man to be detained without bail at the Mercer County jail.

Wade Williams (left) and Tyrone King Sr.

The Mercer County Homicide Task Force arrested Williams Dec. 5 at his girlfriend’s house in connection with the murder of King, a beloved family man who is survived by four children and several siblings.

The state has surveillance video footage, cellphone tower data and statements from confidential informants and an eyewitness to prove that Williams is the triggerman who gunned down King on the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in North Trenton, according to court documents.

At Williams’ detention hearing Wednesday morning, Lord argued that the state has a weak case against her client, saying the state is engaging in “prosecution by rumor.”

When Superior Court Judge Ronald Susswein determined the state had probable cause in charging Williams with first-degree murder and weapons offenses, Lord then revealed that Williams suffers from cervical spinal stenosis and that he cannot properly bathe himself in the jail’s shower stall and “can’t wipe his own behind” after a bowel movement.

Williams has been incarcerated at the Mercer County Correction Center’s infirmary since his arrest. Lord at Wednesday’s detention hearing suggested her client could be released on electronically monitored home detention and into the care of his girlfriend.

The infirmary at the jail has “freezing” climate conditions and lacks the capacity to accommodate Williams’ needs, according to Lord. “It would be a shame to house Wade Williams in such unsanitary conditions” for months of pretrial detention in a case that could end in acquittal, she said, noting her client’s feet “are so swollen” and that he “can barely fit in the stall” to take a shower at the jail.

Williams and his girlfriend are engaged and have a 4-year-old child together, Lord said, adding the fiancée is also pregnant with Williams’ unborn child and that the fiancée would help Williams maintain cleanliness and good hygiene if he was released on house arrest. “He needs somebody to wipe him,” Lord said of her client. “He can’t wipe his own behind. He has sores now on his rear end.”

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Sean McMurtry argued that Williams is charged with murder, faces life in prison, and presents a “flight risk” and “danger to the community.”

Judge Susswein found probable cause in the state’s case against Williams and concluded Wednesday’s detention hearing by ordering Williams to remain jailed without bail on pretrial detention. “This is about risk assessment,” Susswein said. “He has a long criminal history, which in my mind bolsters the argument that detention is merited.”

Much of Williams’ criminal history involves drug distribution. A Superior Court judge earlier this year sentenced Williams to three years of probation for selling drugs on the streets of Trenton in August 2013.

Susswein said he understands Lord’s concerns about the infirmary being too cold and accepts Williams is disabled with a spinal cord injury, but he added, “I don’t agree this is a weak case riddled with holes” and alleged that Williams “had no difficulty getting to a location, shooting somebody and fleeing from it.”

Grieving family

The homicide victim Tyrone King was a Ewing resident who originally hailed from Trenton. He worked for Discount Auto in Langhorne, Pa., for two decades and was the father of three daughters and one “heartbroken” U.S. Marine son, according to King’s siblings who attended Wednesday’s detention hearing.

Prior to the detention hearing, King’s relatives told The Trentonian they hope to see Williams convicted and punished to the maximum extent allowed by law.

“This guy has got to pay,” the victim’s sister Kim King, 56, said of Williams, alleging that he “took somebody very dear to us. Our holidays are ruined, and it won’t be the same without Tyrone.”

“They say justice is blind,” the victim’s brother Michael King said, “but God can see, and I want that guy to be just where he is supposed to be — to be behind bars for 1,000 years.”

Tyrone King suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest about 11:30 a.m. Sept. 17 and was later pronounced dead at the hospital, authorities said.

Fatal confrontation

On the day of the murder, Wade Williams was driving a silver-colored Toyota 4Runner SUV, according to the affidavit of probable cause, which indicates the vehicle was a rental truck that was rented to the defendant’s brother Nathaniel Williams.

Wade Williams got behind the wheel of the rental vehicle on the morning of Sept. 17 and drove to the 900 block of MLK Jr. Boulevard near a deli, where he encountered Tyrone King in a verbal argument. Williams drove away from the area but returned about 20 minutes later with a firearm and fired the weapon from the vehicle, striking King’s chest, according to the allegations outlined in the police affidavit.

Mortally wounded, King clenched his chest with both hands and ran inside the deli after getting shot. Authorities say Williams fled from the murder scene in the Toyota and that surveillance video and cellphone tower data proves he was in the vicinity of the crime scene and quickly drove into Pennsylvania via the Trenton Makes Bridge after King was gunned down.

Authorities say surveillance footage depicts a “heavyset” male operating the Toyota 4Runner on the day of King’s murder. Judge Susswein, citing the affidavit of probable cause at Wade Williams’ detention hearing, said Wade Williams matched the driver’s description and that the defendant’s brother Nathaniel Williams has a slender build and was determined to be in the vicinity of Spring Street at the time of the shooting.

Police interviewed a witness at the murder scene on Sept. 17 and interviewed that witness again on Sept. 21 in a video-recorded session that defense attorney Robin Lord played in court Wednesday. Police asked the witness what the word on the street was, and the witness in the Sept. 21 interview said the initial word on the street was that the homicide victim was messing with young boys but that the latest word was that Wade Williams was the alleged triggerman.

Police filed murder charges against Williams on Dec. 4 and arrested him the following day, according to court records.

“It appears Mr. Williams is being prosecuted by rumor on the street,” Lord said. “This is prosecution by rumor and hearsay and word on the street.”

Trenton man arrested in Ewing man’s murder

Isaac Avilucea — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:12:23 -0500

Wade Williams

A city man was charged with the September slaying of a Ewing man.

Authorities announced they arrested Wade J. Williams, 42, in connection with the murder of 51-year-old Tyrone King. The Sept. 17 killing was described by police as an isolated incident that happened during a stretch that included two other murders, capped by the gunning down of King.

King, who originally hailed from North Trenton and was known as “Big Face,” was described by friends as a “good dude” and a “humble person” murdered following a senseless spat with someone inside a car.

Mercer County investigators say that someone was Williams, of West State Street, who has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

After being educated in the Trenton public schools system, King worked for Discount Auto in Langhorne, Pa., for two decades, according to his obituary. He loved having cookouts and watching sports. He was accommodating, trying hard to make sure friends and family were comfortable.

“He would even give you the shirt off of his back,” family wrote in his obituary. “Of course you were going to hear a few choice words...but at the end of the day, he came through. He made everyone feel welcome and everyone loved him for it.”

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office did not elaborate on a possible motive for the killing in a statement it sent out Tuesday announcing Williams’ arrest.

Charges followed an investigation by the county’s Homicide Task Force, led by Trenton Police’s Waldemar Garcia.

Trenton cops responded to calls for shots fired in the 900 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard. When patrol officers arrived, they found King laying on the floor inside a deli. He was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest and transported to Capital Medical Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Williams was apprehended at his home Tuesday morning by members of the U.S. Marshals and county task force. Prosecutors are expected to file a motion to have Williams detained.

Trenton murder victim ID’d as 51-year-old Ewing resident

David Foster — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 12:00:34 -0400

Tyrone King

Tyrone “Big Face” King was known by friends and family as a “good dude.”

Tragically — like a far too common theme recently in the capital city — King was the victim of gun violence this past weekend.

The 51-year-old Ewing resident was fatally shot Sunday outside a store on the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 20 minutes before noon. King was pronounced dead a short time later at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said Monday in an email.

Police say the MLK shooting appears to be an isolated incident not connected to the shootings in South Trenton that claimed two lives on Friday night and Saturday morning.

“At this point, it appears the victim was involved in a confrontation with another individual who was inside a vehicle,” Lt. Stephen Varn said about the Sunday murder. “Shots were fired from the vehicle and the suspect drove away.”

King, who grew up in North Trenton, was remembered on social media as a “humble person” and a “very good friend.”

King’s death capped an extremely violent weekend in Trenton.

The deadly weekend began with the murder of 43-year-old Anthony Flowers, who was gunned down on Lamberton Street Friday night. Early Saturday morning, 40-year-old Shawn Harrell was murdered near the intersection of Power and Bridge streets.

Residents expressed sadness and shock over the bloodshed.

“It’s a damn shame people will be hostages in their own homes,” one resident wrote on Facebook. “You can’t walk the streets without watching your back.”

Another man wrote on social media that the city has “really gone to s**t.”

So far this year, 20 people have been killed in Trenton, which includes two hit-and-run deaths.

The Mercer County Homicide Task Force is investigating all three murders. No arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information about the slayings is asked to call (609) 989-6406. Or call the Trenton Police Confidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.

Trentonian staff writer Penny Ray contributed to this report

Man murdered in Trenton Sunday

Penny Ray — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 13:17:24 -0400

A man was killed outside a store in Trenton Sunday. (Penny Ray - Trentonian)

A man was shot and killed Sunday, marking the third murder to occur in the capital city over the weekend.

The 51-year-old victim was shot in the head outside a store located in the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 20 minutes before noon. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Residents on the block said they were inside their homes at the time of the shooting, and no one could provide details of what happened just prior to the incident. But one man said the store attracts a lot of foot traffic, which compounds with the open-air drug activity that's rampant on MLK.

"I’ve lived in the neighborhood all my life and the Boulevard has a drug problem," a man who asked to remain anonymous said.

Police say the MLK shooting appears to be an isolated incident not connected to the shootings in South Trenton that claimed two lives on Friday night and Saturday morning.

"At this point, it appears the victim was involved in a confrontation with another individual who was inside a vehicle," Lt. Stephen Varn said about the Sunday murder. "Shots were fired from the vehicle and the suspect drove away."

Trenton Police Director Ernest Parrey Jr. said Sunday that "it's very disappointing" to learn about another capital city homicide less than 24 hours after community leaders spoke about peace in the very same neighborhood where the murder occurred.

"We're putting in double-time working on this violent crime strategy," Parrey said. "We're working with our law enforcement partners and the faith-based community as we did yesterday. Now we have a homicide right in one of the areas where we were pleading to the public. So, the question now becomes: is the public going to answer the call? The police department and the mayor can't do this alone. The community knows who did this. Are they willing to step up and say 'We're not going to have this in our neighborhood; we're not going to subject our children to this?'"

One of the concerns community activists and residents speak about most often is the lack of police walking in Trenton's high-crime neighborhoods. Residents wonder why state police and sheriff's officers don't focus on the areas near schools and downtown while TPD officers walk beats in the high-crime neighborhoods such as MLK, Lamberton Street, Stuyvesant Avenue, Oakland and Hoffman, Prospect Village and the North 25 Housing complex.

"We don't publicly discuss deployment efforts, but I can tell you we work hand-in-hand with New Jersey State Police," Parrey said. "We have areas in the city where we conduct strategic patrols. Unfortunately, an incident like this where someone wanders out of their home with malice in their heart and takes a life is a crime that's not suppressible."

The department hired two classes of recruits last year, but anywhere from 10 to 20 officers could retire within the next two years. The 257 officers currently on the force is much lower than the number of cops employed prior to the 2011 layoffs, which presents a number of challenges to daily crime suppression.

"I'm fighting to get additional police on the ground," Mayor Eric Jackson said. "I'm fighting with the state's Department of Community Affairs to allow us to add additional police to our force and it's a struggle. Earlier this year when Governor Christie talked about using additional resources for police efforts, he talked specifically about the transit hub and expanding their role. Right now we're having conversations about how we expand that out even further."

However, Jackson said, it's important to realize that violence in the capital city is not the result of police slacking on the job, but rather a testament to today's society.

"This violence is not due to a lack of police doing their jobs," Jackson said. "We have to get the guns off the street. That's what I believe is the ultimate answer. We've sorta lost our moral compass, so guns seem to be the easiest resolve. There's no value on life anymore. Young people are using guns to kill people for petty street beefs. Then someone retaliates and kills them. We're destroying lives in our city."

On Saturday, hours after two men were killed in the same South Trenton neighborhood, Jackson, Parrey and other members of the community participated in a morning prayer walk followed by a “Ride for Peace,” where they stressed the importance of residents helping police prevent violent crime.

Jackson said residents of Lamberton Street and other high-crime neighborhoods were "happy to see" law enforcement and government officials touring their blocks Saturday. But while additional boots on the ground remains a top priority, Jackson said, residents must commit to helping police combat crime.

"I urge communities to help protect themselves, but at the same time I don't want people to be afraid to come out of their houses," Jackson said. "We have to work together as a community to solve these problems. One shooting affects everyone in this town, and it's destroying families and the quality of life. We have to work together to fight this epidemic."

So far this year, 19 people have been killed in Trenton, which includes the hit-and-run death of Lea Pringle.

And the violence continued through Sunday evening when someone fired a plethora of gunshots using an AK-47 on Second Street. No injuries were reported from that shooting.