By: Richard L. Smith
A Hillside resident has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the 2021 murder of Quamir Nelson in Newark.
According to a statement released by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced that Justen Couram, 23, received his sentence from Judge John Zunic, P.J.F.P., who also presided over the trial.
On November 1, 2024, Couram was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and multiple weapons offenses linked to Nelson’s fatal shooting. 
The crime occurred on December 30, 2021, when Nelson was shot and killed while sitting in his vehicle on Pomona Avenue, near Aldine Street.
Authorities identified a vehicle, registered to Couram, in surveillance footage transporting the unidentified shooter to and from the crime scene.
Further investigative efforts revealed that Couram had acted as the getaway driver, aiding in Nelson’s murder.
With his conviction, Couram will serve 35 years in New Jersey State Prison without the possibility of parole for the first 30 years, in line with the state's sentencing guidelines for violent crimes.