GUILTY NJ - Dustin Friedland, 30, killed in carjacking, Short Hills, 15 Dec 2013

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Closing arguments heard in Short Hills carjacking-murder trial

http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2017/03/28/closing-arguments-heard-short-hills-carjacking-murder-trial/99733916/

Rubas disputed several of the charges levied against his client, arguing that the evidence did not require the jury to charge Henry with murder or weapons charges. Rubas did not appear to dispute the carjacking charges. Rubas asked the jury not to hold Henry responsible for the actions of Hanif Thompson, another suspect in the killing.

“Mr. Henry went there to steal a car,” Rubas said. “He did not go there to kill anyone. You cannot hold Mr. Henry liable for the acts of Mr. Thompson. His day will come.”

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Ralph Amirata argued that Henry was guilty of murder in Friedland’s killing whether or not he had pulled the trigger. Amirata said the Friedlands had been enjoying a day at the mall before the killing and that Henry had seen a gun with Thompson before the carjacking.

“He knew they had a gun, he knew force was necessary to get the Range Rover – because their shopping list included the Range Rover with the keys," Amirata said. "They were going to use whatever force was necessary to get the keys. Did he expect him to die? He didn’t care.”

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Jury questions scope of charge in Short Hills mall fatal carjacking trial

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/03/jury_questions_scope_of_charge_in_short_hills_mall.html

Jurors deliberating Wednesday in the trial of Basim Henry, one of four charged in the death of a 30-year-old Hoboken attorney during a carjacking at The Mall at Short Hills, appeared to be considering the scope of one of the most serious charges Henry is facing.

In two notes sent from the jury room to Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin, the jury asked who the word "another" referred to in a line in the jury charging instructions that referred to "another's volitional act."

In a conference with the judge, assistant prosecutors Brian Matthews and Ralph Amirata and defense attorney Michael Rubas indicated the question related to the charge of felony murder, one of six counts of a 2014 indictment the jury must consider.

The law says the death has to have been a likely result of a defendant's conduct, and cannot have been "too dependent on another's volitional act" for the defendant to be held liable.

After calling the jury back into the courtroom, Ravin clarified "another" would encompass anyone besides Henry and those he was legally accountable for. The state has alleged Henry is legally accountable for the actions of Thompson, Roberts and Ford, he added.

Wednesday, the first full day of deliberations, came and went without a verdict. Deliberations are expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

 

[0101ABA]

Verdict for getaway driver in deadly N.J. mall carjacking

Basim Henry stood and watched as he was pronounced guilty on all counts Friday.

Prosecutors say Henry was among four men involved in the December 2013 carjacking and fatal shooting of Dustin Friedland at The Mall At Short Hills in Millburn. They say Henry served as the getaway driver.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

2nd trial set, sentencing postponed in fatal Short Hills mall carjacking

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/05/next_trial_in_nj_mall_fatal_carjacking_set_for_sep.html

Kevin Roberts, 39, will be the second of four defendants to face a jury in the Dec. 15, 2013 shooting of Dustin Friedland, 30, in a parking deck at the upscale mall in Millburn during the theft of a Range Rover owned by Friedland's father.

During Monday's status conference in Newark, Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin scheduled Roberts for a Miranda hearing on June 22 and his trial for Sept. 12.

"I can tell you these dates, as far as the court is concerned, are very much set in stone," Ravin said.

One of Robert's co-defendants, Basim Henry, 36, of South Orange, was convicted in March of murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiracy and weapons offenses, and was scheduled to be sentenced this Friday.

But Assistant Prosecutor Ralph Amirata told Ravin on Monday that Henry's sentencing will have to be postponed, as his defense attorney will no longer be available on that date.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Short Hills carjacker gets life sentence for murder

http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/crime/2017/06/26/short-hills-carjacker-gets-life-sentence-murder/428143001/

Basim Henry, the South Orange man who was convicted of murder during a carjacking at the Mall of Short Hills in 2013, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Henry was sentenced this afternoon by Judge Michael Ravin. He also got 10 years for possession of a weapon by a felon, to run concurrently to his murder sentence.

The trial date for the second defendant is currently scheduled for September 12th.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Newark man pleads guilty to carjacking in Short Hills mall killing

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/07/kevin_roberts_pleads_guilty_in_short_hills_mall_fa.html

"He actually pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree carjacking," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly told NJ Advance Media on Monday, adding that Kevin Roberts faces 20 years in state prison at sentencing.

Additional charges of murder, felony murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses are to be dismissed as part of the plea bargain, records show.

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13th.

Hanif Thompson and Karif Ford are still awaiting trial.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

'Unspeakable nightmare' over as gunman admits role in Short Hills mall slaying

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/10/short_hills_mall_carjacking_murder_pleas.html

Karif Ford pleaded guilty to carjacking while Hanif Thompson, the gunman, pleaded to felony murder and weapons offenses, according to prosecutors. The pleas came after Basim Henry, 36, of South Orange, was convicted at trial and sentenced to life in prison. A fourth man, Kevin Roberts, 39, of Newark, pleaded guilty in July to carjacking.

"The resolution of the remaining cases spares the victim's widow from having to testify on two more occasions and brings some finality to this case which has been an unspeakable nightmare for the family," the assistant prosecutor said.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 18th.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Shooter in Short Hills fatal carjacking gets 30 years; accomplices get 20 years

Hanif Thompson, 32, of Irvington, who murdered Friedland in 2013 during an attempt to steal his Land Rover, was sentenced by Judge Michael L. Ravin to 30 years in prison without the possibility of an early release. He pleaded guilty in July to murder and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Thompson's two accomplices, Karif Ford, 35, and Kevin Roberts, 37, both of Newark, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison. They pleaded guilty to carjacking.

As part of their plea agreement, Thompson must serve 30 years, and Ford must serve 85 percent of a 20-year sentence, Matthews said.

In weighing Thompson's sentence, Ravin pointed out the defendant's passive manner as Jamie Friedland spoke to the court.

"Any human being with a conscience and with a heart would have just stared down at the table, head bowed low in shame at what he had done, but you did not do that Mr. Thompson, you just looked at her passively," Ravin said.

http://abc7ny.com/3-in-mall-carjacking-murder-avoid-life-terms-after-plea-deal/2962641/

Friedland's wife, Jamie Friedland, testified against her husband's killers last year and also delivered an emotional victim impact statement.

"I hope you think about the scene you left me with, the life you left me with, the agony you let me in," she said. "I hope you get just as many flashbacks as I do, have just as much fear as I have, just as much uncertainty in your futures as I do. I hope the image and the chaos and the nightmare you left me with stays just as seared in your brain as it is in mine."