A Sicklerville man was indicted for murder today for the August 2015 shooting and killing of a juvenile in Max Manning Park, Pleasantville, First Assistant Prosecutor Cary Shill announced.
Pleasantville Police responded on Friday, August 7, 2015, at 12:50 p.m., to the 1100 block of Lincoln Avenue in Max Manning Park, for a report of a body found lying in the field.
Upon arrival, police found the dead body of Dr. Steven Davion Garrett, a 17-year- old male from Pleasantville.
An autopsy performed the next morning by Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office Dr. Gerald Feigin determined that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and that the manner of death was homicide.
The investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Pleasantville Police Department led to the arrest on October 8, 2015 of Isaiah J. Newsome, then 17-years-old, of Sicklerville.
Newsome was arrested without incident at his Sicklerville school with the assistance of the Gloucester Township Police, and turned over to the custody of Major Crimes and Pleasantville detectives, on juvenile delinquency charges authorized by the Atlantic County Prosecutor for murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
The juvenile was lodged in the Harborfields Juvenile Detention Center, Egg Harbor City, and was later moved to the Atlantic County Justice Facility, where he has remained in custody.
On December 23, 2016, Atlantic County Superior Court—Family Division Judge Susan F. Maven granted the motion of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, which sought the waiver of jurisdiction of the case to the Atlantic County Superior Court, Criminal Division.
Today, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Newsome, now 19 years old, for:
* Murder—a crime of the 1st degree;
* Gang Criminality—1st degree;
* Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (handgun), and
* Unlawful Possession of a Handgun—both 2nd degree crimes.
A conviction for murder carries a potential penalty of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison for a period of 30 years to life. The potential penalty for a 1st degree conviction is 10-20 years in prison, and the potential prison sentence for a 2nd degree conviction is 5- 10 years.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666, or the Pleasantville Police Department at (609) 641-6100.