A Union County grand jury has returned a three-count indictment against the teenager accused of fatally shooting a Roselle resident outside a Linden convenience store earlier this year, Union County First Assistant Prosecutor Albert Cernadas Jr. announced Friday.
According to authorities, Darwens Cadet, 18, of Roselle, was charged with murder and two related weapons offenses for the killing of 27-year-old Brian Pierre.
Officials say at approximately 10:30 p.m. on April 17th, Linden and Roselle police units were called to the 1800 block of East St. Georges Avenue on a report of shots being fired, according to Union County Homicide Task Force Supervisor and Assistant Prosecutor Michael Henn, who is prosecuting the case. In the parking lot of the 7-Eleven at that location, they found Pierre suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and he died while being transported to a local hospital, Henn said.
A swift-moving Task Force investigation, assisted by members of the Linden Police Department, Roselle Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office Identification Unit, and Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit resulted in Cadet being identified as a suspect in the case. He was taken into custody without incident the day after the shooting.
Anyone with information about this matter still is being urged to contact Homicide Task Force Sgt. Johnny Ho at 908-403-8271 or Detective Lamar Hartsfield at 908-451-1873.
Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of up to life in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.