Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that an Essex County jury has convicted Marquise Hawkins, 20, of Newark of murder, felony murder, robbery, conspiracy and weapons offenses in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Khalil Williams of Irvington.
Following a trial before the Honorable Alfonse J. Cifelli, Judge of the Superior Court, the jury found Hawkins, guilty of 10 of the 11 counts he faced. He was acquitted of one weapons offense. Sentencing for Hawkins is scheduled for May 8.
According to Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, who tried the case, on Feb. 17, 2012, Hawkins and three other men were driving around Irvington with two loaded handguns robbing people. When they approached the intersection of Orange Avenue and Orange Place in Irvington they spotted Williams and three other teenagers walking home.
Hawkins and his accomplices circled the block and came back and robbed the victims at gunpoint. Hawkins remained in the car but ordered his codefendants to shoot. Williams sustained fatal injuries.
“Robbery is bad enough but this case turned into a homicide when Hawkins told the two accomplices, who jumped out of the car, to shoot,’’ said Edwab. “These were innocent kids who were just walking home.’’
Two of the co-defendants, Haroon Perry, 23, of Irvington and Azim Brogsdale, 19, of Newark are awaiting trial.
They are presumed innocent unless and until they enter a guilty plea or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The judge set April 13 for a status conference for those defendants.
Prosecutors believe there was a fourth, unidentified co-conspirator who was also involved but never charged.