Wilma Rutledge | Homicide Watch Trenton

3 men indicted in Trenton North 25 murder of Wilma Rutledge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)

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

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

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

Prosecutors: Alleged killers celebrated after North 25 murder

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 18:01:37 -0500

The alleged getaway driver in the North 25 housing complex shooting that killed a city woman and injured a 14-year-old girl last month was “celebrating” shortly after the homicide, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Togbah Kpehe

Togbah Kpehe, 23, is accused of aiding and abetting the murder of 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge. He borrowed a friend’s BMW and used the vehicle to transport the armed perpetrators to the North 25 area and interacted with them after the Oct. 6 slaying, authorities allege.

“I don’t dispute that my client gave a ride to those guys,” John Furlong, Kpehe’s defense attorney, said Thursday in court, adding his client had no advance knowledge of a murder plot and that there is “no evidence my client was a participant.”

The other co-defendants in the case are Trenton men Rahein McInnis, 32, and Zion Williams, 18, as well as two 16-year-old teens whom prosecutors have not identified because they are juveniles. Prosecutors say Williams and the two juveniles were armed when Kpehe dropped them off about a block away from the intersection of Carver Lane and North Willow Street in Trenton.

Kpehe did not witness the shooting, according to Furlong, who said his client was an unofficial rideshare service worker who occasionally transported people to various locations for a fee upon request. Kpehe drove Williams and both juveniles to the area near North 25 as a service and later met up with two of the alleged killers to get paid, Furlong said.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Heather Hadley said Kpehe was “not an Uber driver or a Lyft driver” and said the three alleged shooters had guns in their hands when Kpehe dropped them off, including one who was armed with what appeared to be a large-capacity ammunition clip.

At some point after the homicide, Kpehe met with two of the alleged killers in another part of the city and greeted them with hand-shaking or hand-clapping, Hadley said, adding, “There was no money that was exchanged.”

“There was some kind of agreement that this defendant was going to be a getaway driver for this shooting that happened at 3 in the afternoon,” Hadley said of Kpehe, citing surveillance video footage. “He is just as culpable as the individuals who pulled the trigger.”

No video was played in court during Kpehe’s detention hearing on Thursday, and Mercer County Superior Court Judge Ronald Susswein ordered Kpehe to be jailed without bail on pretrial detention. Hadley said video evidence shows Kpehe slapping hands with two of the alleged killers in a “celebratory” manner post-homicide.

Furlong said he had reviewed the state’s video evidence and saw no guns in the hands of the co-defendants who Kpehe dropped off and that “there is no celebratory handshaking” after the fatal shooting. “We don’t have probable cause to implicate my client,” he said. The judge nonetheless found probable cause to proceed with the hearing.

Furlong was unable to play any video evidence in court Thursday because he had the footage saved onto a Blu-ray disc and Susswein’s courtroom was not equipped to playback Blu-ray discs. The judge said he would reopen the detention hearing once Furlong gathers the video evidence in a format that can be played back in court.

Another point of contention on Thursday concerned the vehicle that Kpehe was driving on the afternoon of the fatal North 25 shooting. Prosecutors said Kpehe borrowed a BMW from a female friend, used the vehicle to transport the alleged shooters near the housing complex and then later ditched the vehicle in another part of the city, telling the vehicle’s owner that the BMW was carjacked.

Furlong said the state has a recording of Kpehe speaking with the car’s owner and that Kpehe in that conversation never said anything about a carjacking. A law-enforcement officer overheard that conversation between Kpehe and the car owner, Furlong said.

The car owner also gave a separate statement to police saying that Kpehe had told her the car was carjacked, Hadley said, adding, “All of her statement is on video.”

With the defense attorney and prosecutor not agreeing on certain facts in the case, Judge Susswein quipped, “This is not a mini-trial.”

Kpehe was arrested last week after turning himself in, and the other four co-defendants were arrested last month. All five defendants face murder charges for the elder victim’s homicide and attempted murder charges for the teenager getting wounded by gunfire. Kpehe is being prosecuted under the theory of accomplice liability, which is an aiding and abetting charge. He recently served time in state prison for possessing and distributing narcotics.

All three adult defendants in the case remain incarcerated without bail on pretrial detention, while the two juvenile defendants are presumably being held without bail and could potentially be waived up to adult court.

Cops arrest fifth defendant in North 25 murder case

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 14:47:20 -0500

A fifth person has been arrested in connection with the Oct. 6 shooting outside the North 25 housing complex that killed a city woman and injured a 14-year-old girl.

Convicted Trenton drug dealer Togbah Kpehe, 23, who recently served time in state prison for possessing and distributing narcotics, got re-arrested Monday and charged with accomplice liability murder and weapons offenses for his alleged role in the slaying of 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge.

Togbah Kpehe

Trenton Police Detective Scott Peterson of the Mercer County Homicide Task Force arrested Kpehe, the third adult to be charged in the case. Police last month arrested Trenton men Rahein McInnis, 32, and Zion Williams, 18, as well as two 16-year-old teens whom prosecutors have not identified because they are juveniles.

In addition to killing Rutledge, a local grandmother, the wild afternoon shooting outside the North 25 housing complex also injured a 14-year-old girl.

All five defendants in the case face murder charges for the elder victim’s homicide and attempted murder charges for the teenager getting wounded by gunfire.

Prosecutors on Wednesday filed a motion seeking to keep Kpehe jailed without bail on pretrial detention. His court hearing is scheduled to take place 9 a.m. Nov. 14 before Mercer County Superior Court Judge Ronald Susswein.

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

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

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

Zion Williams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fourth arrest made in North 25 Housing murder

Isaac Avilucea — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 11:57:13 -0400

A fourth man was arrested and charged in a double shooting that left one woman dead and injured a teenager outside the North 25 Housing complex this month.

Rahein McInnis, 32, of Trenton, was arrested in a vehicle on Country Lane in Ewing around 9 p.m. Wednesday night by members of the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the U.S. Marshals.

He is charged with murder and related offenses along with 18-year-old Zion Williams and two 16-year-old teens whom prosecutors have not identified because they are underage.

Williams is also charged with child endangerment, and prosecutors have filed a motion to have him detained pending trial.

The four suspects were allegedly involved in the Oct. 6 broad daylight double shooting at the intersection of Carver Lane and North Willow Street that left 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge dead and injured a 14-year-old girl, a student at the 9th Grade Academy in Trenton.

Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)

Rutledge was shot in the neck and the teenager was hit by bullets in the stomach and arm, sources said, adding that they were innocent bystanders. The victims were taken to the hospital where Rutledge succumbed to her injuries.

An investigation led by detectives Scott Peterson and Nancy Diaz culminated in the arrests of the criminal quartet. Both 16-year-olds were taken into custody without incident. Prosecutors have not specified their alleged roles in the homicide.

Rutledge was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, raised as a Jehovah’s Witness and lived in Trenton for more than five decades, according to her obituary.

She graduated from Trenton Central High School and the Wilford Beauty Academy. Rutledge, who worked at the Coca-Cola Factory in Hightstown, is survived by three sons.

Three teenagers arrested for North 25 Housing murder

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

Zion Williams

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

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

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

Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)

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

Prosecutors have not disclosed a motive for the shooting.

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

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

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

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

Homicide victim from North 25 shooting ID’d as Wilma Rutledge, 58

Sulaiman Abdur-Rahman — Sat, 07 Oct 2017 12:47:29 -0400

Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)

A 58-year-old woman who died Friday afternoon from senseless gun violence outside the North 25 housing complex has been identified as Wilma Rutledge, who lived on Carver Lane where the shooting occurred.

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday had no additional updates on the shooting that also left a 14-year-old city girl injured with gunshot wounds that were not considered to be life-threatening.

The incident occurred about 3:10 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Carver Lane and North Willow Street. Both shooting victims were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center by private means. Rutledge was pronounced dead at the hospital while the teenager was last reported to be in stable condition, officials said.

Rutledge’s grieving family members and friends did not immediately have any comments Saturday afternoon when a reporter from The Trentonian stopped by the household to send condolences.

Her niece Stephanie M. Rutledge, however, posted the following message on Facebook along with a photo:

“What a sad story to tell, my Aunt Wilma was in a horrible accident some months ago, and it didn’t look good for her, but she made it. This picture was taken the day she was finally able to leave the rehab, she’s the one with the shades on, she said I have to look fly....Sad to say today she was murdered yesterday in North 25 minding her own business.”

Sources say the victims of the shooting were innocent bystanders.

Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson on Friday called on the public to join him “in keeping the victims, their families and friends in our prayers as our police force executes the work that is needed to hold everyone involved in this senseless act accountable.”

A source with intimate knowledge of the situation said the 14-year-old shooting victim was a dedicated volunteer who helped special needs children. For the past six months, the teenager has worked with the Special Parent Advocacy Group, the source said of the girl, who is a student at the 9th Grade Academy in Trenton. She even volunteered on Thursday, the day before she was shot.

The source said the teenager was hanging out with a group of friends after school on Friday when a couple of guys came up and started shooting.

“The police director with the full support of the mayor is committing every asset at its disposal to identify and locate the individual or individuals responsible for this senseless and shocking act,” Trenton Police Lt. Stephen Varn said on Friday.

No arrests in connection with the fatal shooting have been announced as of Saturday afternoon. Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or the Trenton Police Confidential Tip Line at (609) 989-3663.

Staff Writer David Foster contributed to this report.

Trenton Police investigate a fatal shooting on North Willow Street and Carver Lane on Friday, Oct. 6, 2017. (GREGG SLABODA — The Trentonian)