2008: 0 Murder in Journal Square

January 9, 2009, at 10:43 pm | One comment

Jersey Journal reported that there were 36 murders in Hudson County .. 27 of those occured in Jersey City, the highest count in 10 years.

The report listed down the names of the victim and their addresses, and I checked if there were incidents in Journal Square. There were none. Nada.

However, other crimes such as robbery, muggings, bomb scare, car break-ins, etc are still prevalent in our section. Unfortunately, It’s hard to track/document these as JCPD database is divided into four parts: north, south, east, west. Since JSQ is in the heart of JC, crime reports for our area are recorded in various parts. I am sure there were even unreported incidents.

Read the rest for the full list of names on the murders in Hudson County. Brief description is included.

36 murders in Hudson County in 2008
Wednesday, January 07, 2009

JERSEY CITY

1. Christopher Rodas, 19, Old Bergen Road in Jersey City, was shot in the head on Jan. 6 during a robbery of his home near Linden Avenue, officials said. Arrested and indicted on the charge of felony murder were Jersey City residents Tyjuan Wilson, 22, Aquilla Roach, 21, Michael Graham, 20, and Rashawn Benekin, 22. They await trial.

2. Michael Christopher, 59, aka Michael Gatalla, of Brooklyn, was found dead in his parked vehicle on Kennedy Boulevard near Bond Street on Jan. 18, officials said. An autopsy determined he had been strangled. No one has been charged, but the investigation is pursuing leads to a potential suspect in Egypt.

3. A 3-month-old Jersey City boy named Carlos died at Greenville Hospital on Feb. 8 due to hemorrhaging in the brain as a result of blunt force trauma to his head. The boy’s 17-year-old father pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter as a juvenile and was sentenced in November to three years probation.

4. Troy Gregory, 15, of Myrtle Avenue, was shot in the face on Feb. 17 at Oak Street near Martin Luther King Drive, officials said, adding that he had a gun in his pocket when found by police. Rashein Chandler, 19, of Dwight Street, and a boy were charged in his death as part of a gang roundup in October, officials said. The case awaits presentation to the grand jury.

5. Romana Pujols Gonzalez, 25, of Central Avenue, was found stabbed multiple times in the neck on Feb. 18 in her apartment near Leonard Street. Her boyfriend, William Davila, 36, of Delaware Avenue, was arrested and later indicted on the charge of murder, and he awaits trial.

6. Michael Williams, 25, of Union Street, was fatally shot in the Montgomery Gardens housing complex on March 30, officials said. Charged in the killing were Jamonee Gantt, 19, Rashein Chandler, 19, Derrick Wallace, 20, Chajuan Hemingway, 20; Courtney Hemingway, 21; and a juvenile, officials said. The case awaits presentation to the grand jury.

7. Darian White, 27, of Madison Avenue, was shot multiple times on April 3 at Clinton Avenue near West Side Avenue during what officials described as horseplay turned deadly. Andre DeBerry, 20, of Jersey City, was arrested and later indicted on the charge of murder, and he awaits trial.

8. Zulma Aviles, 55, of Queens, was stabbed in the neck and torso during what appears to have been a murder/suicide in the home of her boyfriend, Orlando Garced, 48, on Duncan Avenue off Kennedy Boulevard. Garced was also found dead in the home after cutting a vein near his elbow and stabbing himself in the neck and abdomen.

9. Damien Williams, 28, Ocean Avenue, died after being shot once in the chest near the corner of Grant and Rose avenues on April 19. The murder is still under investigation and no arrests have been made.

10. Ramon Francisco Morales, 21, of Glenwood Avenue, was shot during a robbery at West Side and Highland avenues on April 19. Quaheem Johnson, 21, of Duncan Avenue, was arrested after allegedly robbing two more people after the shooting and he pulled a gun on arresting officers. He has been indicted on the charge of murder and awaits trial.

11. Kawaun Martin, 24, of Claremont Avenue, was killed and two other people were injured in a shooting on Orient Avenue near Martin Luther King Drive on April 19. The investigation is ongoing. No one has been charged.

12. Naquan (aka “Nakwon”) Jeter , 21, was shot at Warner Avenue near Kennedy Boulevard on April 26 during a triple shooting that also claimed the life of Terrence Sumpter. A handgun was found near his body. No arrests have been made.

13. Terrence Sumpter, 22, was gunned down in a triple shooting at Warner Avenue near Kennedy Boulevard on April 26 that also claimed the life of Naquan Jeter. Police say those involved may have been involved in a shootout. No arrests have been made.

14. Jason Sharpe, 24, of Wilkinson Avenue, was stabbed in the heart and lung on May 13 at Ocean Avenue and Wegman Parkway. Kason Hockett, 22, of Bartholdi Avenue, was arrested, indicted on the charge of murder and awaits trial. The stabbing followed an argument on the street.

15. Keith Clinton, 18, was found with a gunshot wound to his chest on May 25 at the corner of Oak Street and Bergen Avenue, and was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No arrest has been made.

16. Terrell Martin, 24, of Claremont Avenue, was shot in the A. Harry Moore public housing complex on June 25 during a game of dice. Husain Booker, 27, of Armstrong Avenue, was wounded during the shooting, which might have been payback for a robbery. No one has been charged.

17. Andre Scott, 49, of Armstrong Avenue, suffered a fractured nose and fatal head trauma during a robbery on Armstrong Avenue near Martin Luther King Drive on July 16. He died at the Jersey City Medical Center two days later. Angelo Williams, 28, aka “H,” was charged with felony murder and robbery. The case awaits presentation to the grand jury.

18. Soveira Rojas, 29, was found dead in her Webster Avenue bedroom on Aug. 10 with a gunshot to her chest. Her boyfriend, Leonardo “Lenny” Buccheri, 40, who shared the home, dialed 911. He was first arrested on the charge of possession of a firearm by a felon and was charged on Oct. 24 with her murder. The case awaits presentation to the grand jury.

19. Mark Kendall, 26, was found with multiple stab wounds between two parked cars in front of his home at Summit and Carlton avenues on Aug. 16. Darwin Rodriguez-Ferreira, 22, who lived nearby, was arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport on Aug. 21 after returning from the Dominican Republic. The case awaits presentation to the grand jury. His mother and sister were charged with helping him flee the country and they have since posted bail.

20. Lawrence Robertson, 19, of Fulton Avenue, was shot twice in the head during an Aug. 31 shootout at 15th Street and Jersey Avenue, officials said. Gregory Mallard, 19, of Parnell Place, was arrested and charged with the murder. Robertson was apparently killed when rival groups clashed at the Holland Gardens housing complex. The case is pending presentation to the grand jury.

21. Michael Fuccile, 36, of Metuchen, was stabbed to death at the Liberty State Park Light Rail Station the morning of Sept. 4 while commuting to work on the Jersey City waterfront. Elgin Louis Taylor Jr., 24, of Communipaw Avenue, was charged with the murder. He was later indicted and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Monday. Taylor has a history of mental illness.

22. Joseph Maske, 23, was stabbed to death on the street at Wegman Parkway near Ocean Avenue on Sept. 7 by the now-15-year-old brother of his girlfriend after the couple argued in their home. The boy was originally charged with murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. On Jan. 5, he was sentenced to three years in the Jamesburg Youth Correctional Facility.

23. Adrell Bennett, 19, of Wade Street, was wanted by police on drug dealing charges related to a gang roundup when he was shot at a friend’s home on Oct. 15 at Arlington and Myrtle avenues. Two men forced their way into the apartment and apparently chased him into a bathroom where he was later found dead in the bathtub. No one has been charged.

24. Jose Tecson, 55, of Roosevelt Avenue, was stabbed to death during a Nov. 6 burglary of his home off Mallory Avenue. Tecson, who worked nights, was home during the daytime burglary and there were signs he was tied up and was trying to escape when killed. The burglar entered the apartment by removing the air-conditioner from an alley window. No arrests have been made.

25. Tyrone W. Counts, 43, was beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed to death on Dec. 11 in the apartment of Carmen Matos, 47, at Palisade Avenue and Waverly Street. Matos was arrested the next day after telling police about the body, and her 17-year-old son and the son’s 18-year-old homeless friend, Christopher Gonzalez, were also charged with murder. The case is pending presentation to the grand jury.

26. Henry Molesky, 41, of Woodlawn Avenue, was shot on Dec. 12 at Clinton Street near West Side Avenue and he died at the Jersey City Medical Center two days later. Timothy Williams, 26, of Jersey City, has been charged with the murder, which police say was precipitated by a dispute earlier the night of the shooting. The case is pending presentation to the grand jury.

27. Three-month-old Shariff Whitehead Jr. had multiple injuries when he died on Jan. 15, 2008 and his father, Shariff Whitehead Sr., 27, of New Heckman Drive, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death, officials said. An autopsy determined the boy died of asphyxiation and had multiple rib injuries. Whitehead Sr. awaits trial.

News Source: Jersey Journal