Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey Murdered in Gang Style Shooting an Example of Broken Campaign Promises? Arrest Update:8-19

(Update on all arrested suspects to date is at the bottom of the original article: Carranza, Godinez, Alfaro, and undisclosed minor(s).

When Mayor Booker was running for office in Newark, he promised a crack down on crime so that good people could live and improve their lives without fear. But an election later and four friends had their promising lives end because of crime. They all planned to be at the same college (Delaware State) in a few days. But that all changed with a few gun shots associated with an apparent robbery attempt. Several assailants ended the dreams of these individuals in Newark where the murder rate has risen 50 percent since 1998. The three victims were shot at close range while they were forced to kneel against a wall. A young woman was also wounded.
There have been 60 killings in Newark's this year to 60. Mayor Cory A. Booker promised last year to reduce crime. "He doesn't deserve another day, another second, while our children are at stake," said Donna Jackson, president of Take Back Our Streets organization.

Terrance Aeriel, 18, Iofemi Hightower, 20, and Dashon Harvey, 20 were killed with so much life ahead of them. Aeriel's 19-year-old sister, Natasha, was hospitalized in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities are investigating the crime but have made no arrests. "They were good kids," said Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow. This is an understatement. By all accounts, they were great kids who served as an example that one could improve their lives by education and working within the law. They will be sadly missed.

Update: 8-9-07: Jose Carranza age 31 turned himself in on three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder and other charges. A 15 year old is already in custody and will be charged as an adult. One or more other suspects are being sought. All our innocent until proven guilty.
Update: 8-10-07 A finger print on a beer bottle and testimony from Natasha have apparently helped police identify suspects and/or person of interest. Apparently one more adult and two teens are being sought for questioning.
Update: 8-13-07 Police issued a warrant for Rodolfo Godinez, 24. Three others have been arrested. Godinez (a.k.a. Rodolfo Gomez) is a Nicaraguan national who lived in Newark's Ivy Hill section.
Update: 8-19-07 Two more suspects were found in suburban Washington. Rodolfo Godinez, a 24-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant, was arrested in Oxon Hill, Md. He is held on $1 million bail and charged with three counts of first degree murder said Carolyn Murray, first assistant prosecutor for Essex County. Alexander Alfaro, 16, allegedly Godinez's half brother, was arrested in Woodbridge, Va. on similar charges. Authorities are still searching for an additional suspect.

Update 4-30-10: A 19 year old woman who was shot and stabbed, is a trial witness for the prosecution. Two other defendants were charged with sexual assault. The young woman "was also marched to her death that night" but fortunately she survived. According to the prosecuton, Terrance Aeriel (T.J.) texted the woman that "it's time to go," after he saw four more men show up at the playground. The victims were forced to lie on the ground and surrender their money and cell phones before they could leave. Three were allegedly taken down a set of stairs and shot. The lone survivor was apparently sexually assaulted and cut. When she ran, she was shot in the head.

Attorney Roy Greenman represent defendant Godinez. He claims Godinez did not participate in the attack. The surviving victim apparently identified the other defendants as the shooters.
Suspects ranged from 15 to 28 years old at the time of the killings. Three juveniles will be tried as adults. All six suspects face murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons counts in addition to the sexual assault charges against Jose Carranza, the oldest defendant, and Shahid Baskerville, who was 15 at the time. Prosecutors believe that the killings were part of a gang initiation. After the killings, Newark installed surveillance cameras in some neighborhoods. 2008 statistics suggest that Newark's murder rate had dropped by nearly 40 percent. For more on the trial read: charlotteobserver.com

Update 1-18-11: Due to Halo spamming, any future comment on this thread must be mailed to legalpub@legalpub.net for prescreening. Sorry, but as Legal Pub has become more popular, the spamming has increased to the point that editors can't write as many new stories or update old articles.