Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, III announced the arrest of Mr. Kevin Stevenson, 39, of Tremont Avenue, East Orange on charges of Murder, Unlawful Possession Of A Weapon, and Possession Of A Weapon For An Unlawful Purpose.
The arrest is the result of a Cold Case Homicide Investigation conducted by the North Jersey Cold Case Task Force under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti.
Officials say on Thursday, December 27, 2009, at 9:50 p.m., the Newark Police Department responded to a report that a man had been shot on the 17th floor of 195 First Street.
Upon arrival, officers found the lifeless body of 31-year-old Philip Quale.
Police say Quale was killed by multiple gunshots.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Police Department conducted an investigation into the homicide, however no arrests were made and the case went cold.
Several months ago, the case was reopened by the North Jersey Cold Case Task Force.
Officials say the renewed investigation revealed that Stevenson approached Philip Quale in the hallway of the 17th floor at 195 First Street in Newark and fatally shot him.
As a result of the investigation, Stevenson was charged on July 15, 2019 with one count of Murder, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3, a 1st degree crime; one count of Unlawful Possession Of A Weapon, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5b, a 2nd degree crime; and one count of Possession Of A Weapon For An Unlawful Purpose, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C-4a, a 2nd degree crime.
Officials say on Tuesday, August 6, Stevenson was located and arrested in East Orange, NJ, by members of the FBI Fugitive Task Force. He is currently lodged at the Essex County Jail.
The North Jersey Cold Case Task Force was established by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police in February 2019 and includes detectives from Bergen, Essex, and Passaic County Prosecutor’s Offices, the Newark Police Department, and New Jersey State Police.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would also like to thank all the participating agencies in the cold case task force for their continued hard work, as well as the FBI–Newark Division for its assistance in the apprehension.