VERDICTS OF INTEREST          

sTATE V. TERRANCE TRAVERS     

At approximately 11:00 p.m. on August 23, 2004, Robert Laguerre was driving a dark blue Pacifica in the area of Miller Street and Dexter Avenue in Trenton.  Taahira Silver was sitting in front passenger seat.  Robert Laguerre was a well-know drug dealer in Trenton.  There was approximately $8,400 in the glove compartment of the Pacifica.  As Laguerre proceeded down Dexter Avenue, he spotted the Defendant, Terrance Travers, and a second suspect, who is believed to be Ibrahim Blackman, standing next to a green Buick, which was  owned by Travers’ mother.  Laguerre stopped the Pacifica and the Defendant and Blackman entered the rear of the Pacifica.  Travers was sitting behind Taahira Silver and Blackman was behind Laguerre. 

At this point, the Defendant and Blackman each pulled out a handgun, pointed them at the heads of Silver and Laguerre and stated “Give it up”.  The Defendant was armed with a .40 cal. silver and black Taurus semi-automatic pistol and Blackman was armed with a .380 cal. semi-automatic pistol.   

The carjackers directed Laguerre to pull away from the curb and start driving.  The Defendant and Blackman continued to hold the guns to the head of the victims.  When Laguerre did not turn when directed, Blackman struck Laguerre repeatedly in the head.  During the entire time in the Pacifica, both Blackman and Travers threatened Silver and Laguerre with the guns.   

Eventually, Laguerre turned onto Martin Luther King Boulevard and started heading toward Southard Street.  As Laguerre approached the Donnelly-Paige Homes, he spotted Officer Gairy Robinson, who was standing next to an unmarked housing authority vehicle.  Officer Robinson was dressed in full uniform.  At the time, Officer Robinson was working with Officers Cynthia Hargis, Marlon Parrott and Bethesda Stokes.  All four officers were working a detail for the Trenton Housing Authority.  Officers Hargis, Parrott and Stokes were dealing with a fight/disturbance involving two girls in the courtyard area of the Donnelly-Paige Homes.   

Laguerre stopped the Pacifica in the middle of the street next to where Officer Robinson was standing and started screaming “They have guns!  They are trying to kill us!”  At the same time, Taahira Silver opened the front passenger door and started running away from the Pacifica screaming “He has a gun!  He is trying to kill us!”  Almost at the same time, the Defendant exited from the rear passenger side door and was about two to three feet from Officer Robinson.  Blackman exited from the rear driver’s side door.  Officer Robinson pulled his service weapon and directed the Defendant to stop.  Officer Robinson also attempted to grab the Defendant around the shoulder with his left hand.  At this point, the Defendant started running away from the Pacifica in the direction of a driveway located along the side of the Martin Luther King Middle School.   

At great risk to his own safety, Officer Robinson started to chase the Defendant and as he was doing this, Blackman ran by Officer Robinson in the same direction as the Defendant and was able to get in front of the Defendant.  Officer Robinson continued to chase the two suspects on the driveway alongside the school.  Officers Hargis and Parrott heard the woman screaming and immediately ran towards Officer Robinson to back him up.  When they reached the Pacifica, Officer Robinson was just entering the driveway alongside the school.  Officers Hargis and Parrott continued to follow Officer Robinson as his backup.  Officer Stokes ran toward Southard Street to block one of the potential escape routes from the rear of the school. 

As the two suspects reached the parking area at the rear of the school, Blackman jumped onto a green car that was parked near a fence, jumped over a fence and continued to run in the backyard of one of the houses on Evans Avenue.  The Defendant continued on the driveway and then made a left onto Delta Brighton Alley.  As the Defendant continued on Delta Brighton Alley, he fell forward to the ground.  Officer Robinson rounded the corner. 

After he fell, the Defendant started to get up, turned in the direction of Officer Robinson and fired two rounds in the direction of Officer Robinson.  Officer Robinson returned fire using his service weapon firing five times and striking the Defendant three times.  Officer Robinson then secured the Defendant.  Officer Hargis observed the Defendant fire twice at the Defendant.  After securing the Defendant, Officer Parrott called for an ambulance, which arrived shortly thereafter and transported the Defendant to Capital Health Systems – Fuld Campus. 

The Trenton Police Crime Scene Unit recovered Blackman’s gun and the Defendant’s gun from the scene.  The Crimes Scene Unit recovered two shell casings from the scene that were matched to the Defendant’s gun and five shell casings that matched Officer Robinson’s gun.  The Crime Scene Unit also recovered two projectiles consistent with Officer Robinson’s gun and one projectile matching the Defendant’s gun.   

During the summer of 2007, DNA results from the hat left in the driveway matched DNA from Ibrahim Blackman through the New Jersey State Police CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) program.  Based on this DNA match, Trenton Police obtained a warrant for the arrest of Blackman for carjacking, robbery and weapons offenses in late August 2007.  Members of the US Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force searched for Mr. Blackman, but he was murdered on September 14, 2007 in Trenton before he could be arrested. 

On November 26, 2007, this case went to trial.  The Assistant Prosecutor Jim Scott prosecuted the case.  Robin Kay Lord, Esquire, represented the Defendant.  Over the next four weeks, Officer Robinson and his partners testified before the jury along with a number of other Trenton Police officers, including the lead investigator, Detective Sergeant Christopher Doyle.  In addition, Detective Sergeant David McGuinnes of the Mercer County Prosecutor Office, testified to the jury about his investigation of the incident.  Finally, the prosecution called expert witnesses in the the areas of ballistics and DNA to testify.  The defense called no witnesses. 

On December 19, 2007, the jury convicted the Defendant of aggravated assault against Officer Robinson, one count of first degree carjacking, two counts of first degree robbery, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and two counts of unlawful possession of a handgun.  The Defendant faces a potential sentence of more than seventy years in state prison, of which he must serve 85% before he is eligible for parole.  In addition, the Defendant must be on parole for five years upon his release.   The Defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on February 8, 2008.

STATE V. TORMU PRALL

On October 18, 2006, at approximately 6:00 pm, Trenton patrol officers Jones and Ramos responded to 715 Martin Luther King Boulevard on a reported criminal mischief/domestic dispute.  When they arrived, the suspect, Tormu Prall, was getting into a white U-Haul van.  Prall drove the van toward the marked patrol car, then stopped about fifteen feet away.  As Ptl. Jones  walked to the van, Prall shifted into reverse, backed up at a high rate of speed, then turned onto New Willow Street.  Ptl. Ramos pursued the defendant, who travelled around the block and back onto Martin Luther King Boulevard.  As Prall turned the corner from Southard Street onto Martin Luther King Boulevard, he drove into the oncoming lane of traffic and aimed the van directly at Ptl. Jones, who was crossing the street.  Ptl. Jones dove onto the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding being struck by the van.  Civilian witnesses stated that the van came within one foot of the officer; Ptl. Jones explained that the van was so close that he felt the breeze as it went by him.  After the aggravated assault on Ptl. Jones, the defendant continued to elude Ptl. Ramos through the city and into Ewing Township.  Ptl. Ramos lost the defendant during the chase, but Ptl. Alphonse Ferdetta, who was monitoring the chase over the police radio, spotted the defendant back in the city and pursued him until the chase became too dangerous for innocent bystanders.  Several hours later, Patrolmen Jones and Ramos saw the defendant walking along Trent Street and placed him under arrest.  Early the following morning, the van was discovered abandoned in a city alley.  Shortly after the defendant’s arrest, he complained of chest pains and was taken to the emergency room at Helene Fuld where he was arraigned on October 19, 2007, by Trenton Municipal Court Judge Greg Williams.  During the arraignment process, the defendant asked the judge how he could be charged with aggravated assault if he did not actually hit the officer with the van, thereby removing any identification defenses.

The defendant was convicted on each count of the indictment, namely, fourth degree aggravated assault, second degree eluding, and fourth degree resisting arrest.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Doris Galuchie.

STATE V. DEWAN DENNIS

On April 21, 2005, defendant, Dewan Dennis, and Joseph Welch were in the Wilbur Section of Trenton when they saw the victim, Denneshia Ledbetter, entering a corner store.  Dennis, the “OG” or leader of the street gang called the Bounty Hunter Bloods, told Welch, a street soldier in the Bounty Hunter Bloods (BHB), to come with him into the store.  Once inside defendant began a conversation with Denneshia Ledbetter.  During that conversation defendant asked Ledbetter why he was in Trenton and who he was with, as defendant knew Ledbetter from his hometown of New Brunswick, New Jersey.  Ledbetter indicated to defendant that he was in town visiting but did not give defendant any other information.  At the end of the conversation defendant told Ledbetter, “be safe out here” and walked out of the store with Welch.  

Upon exiting the store defendant’s demeanor changed.  Defendant believed that Ledbetter was from a rival gang from his hometown who was in Trenton to possibly kill him.   Defendant became nervous and told Welch to go out and find “O-Dogg” aka David Law, another BHB street soldier, to “put in some work” on Ledbetter.   “Put in work” was gang terminology meaning that Dennis wanted Welch to find Law to be the shooter and to kill Ledbetter.  After receiving his order, Welch went out to North Trenton to look for Law.  Although he did not find Law, Welch did eventually find William Lane, another street soldier in the BHB. After Welch explained to Lane the order that he had been given by defendant, Lane agreed to come along and both he and Lane went back to defendant in order to speak with him prior to finding Ledbetter. 

Welch and Lane went back to the Wilbur Section and defendant gave his approval to Lane being the shooter instead of Law.  When Lane asked defendant what the victim looked like defendant told Lane that Welch would give him that information. 

Welch and Lane drove around the City of Trenton in order to find Ledbetter.  Eventually they spotted him on a porch on Hamilton Avenue.  They parked their car and watched Ledbetter until he walked off of the porch and down Hamilton Avenue making a left onto Chambers Street.  Lane, armed with a .38 caliber handgun, followed Ledbetter on foot.  Lane followed Ledbetter through various streets in Trenton and, once seeing Ledbetter turn down Poland Alley behind McKinley Avenue, called Welch to pick him up.  After Welch picked up Lane they drove to Poland Alley and entered the opposite end of the alleyway from Ledbetter.   Welch drove down the alleyway until they reached Ledbetter.  Lane rolled down his window and said, “What’s good my dude?”, and when Ledbetter turned toward Lane, Lane shot him one time in the head.  Welch drove away from the scene along with Lane. 

Welch and Lane went to the Wilbur Section in order to report back to defendant that their mission had been accomplished.   After doing so both Lane and Welch went their separate ways.   

A few days after the murder at a gathering at defendant’s home, defendant spoke with a  group of BHB members, of which Welch, Lane and Tremayne Johnson, another soldier, were included.  During the discussion defendant informed all of the individuals that they needed to be more loyal to the gang and handle themselves like Lane, meaning that when they are given orders they should follow them without question.  During this conversation defendant indicated that he would reward William Lane with a “red flag.”  For the BHB, the red flag was an award given to someone who showed loyalty to the gang and who had shed an enemy’s blood, i.e., killed one of the gang’s enemies. 

This case was tried by Deputy First Assistant Kimm Lacken.   The defendant was convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Murder.   Because the defendant has already been convicted of and sentenced to two prior murders and has received two consecutive life terms he is now eligible for his third consecutive life term of imprisonment. The sentencing date for defendant is Friday, March 28, 2008.

HOME/MISSION STATEMENT/DIRECTIONS /VICTIM SERVICES/PRESS RELEASES/INVESTIGATIONS/LINKS/UNITS/INTERNSHIPS/AWARDS