Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, announced today that Roberto Ubiera, 59, of Newark, has been sentenced to life in New Jersey State Prison for the murder of Tarlok Singh, 55, of East Orange.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 16, 2018, Singh was fatally stabbed by Ubiera, a former employee who came to the neighborhood grocery store and attacked Singh.
At trial the state presented evidence showing Ubiera handcuffed the victim behind his back and isolated him in an employee bathroom in the rear of the store, where he later stabbed Singh twice in the back non-fatally before cutting Mr. Singh’s throat twice with a knife and leaving him to bleed to death on the floor of the small bathroom with his hands still cuffed behind his back.
Ubiera was seen in the store by customers who came in during the crime and he attempted to pretend to be working there, but the customers recognized that something was amiss.
Ubiera fled the scene after a customer who had seen Singh there earlier returned and called out for Singh and discovered him in the bathroom as Ubiera fled.
In March, Ubiera, was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery, felony murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose following a trial before the Honorable Christopher S. Romanyshyn, Judge of the Superior Court.
Due to the circumstances of the crime, today Judge Romanyshynsentenced Ubiera to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Mr. Ubiera tortured and killed a kind and generous man, Mr. Singh. He has earned every day of the sentence imposed,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Adam B. Wells, who tried the case.