Camden, N.J. – Two men were found guilty Feb. 12 in the November 2018 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Thomas Reyes in Camden, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Camden County Police Chief Joseph D. Wysocki.
Brothers Curtis Miller, 26, and Ryan Wilkins, 24, both of Camden, were found guilty by a jury of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accomplice to murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the murder of Thomas Reyes.
The trial for both defendants began Jan, 7; the jury reached their verdict after two days of deliberation. Acting Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Spittal represented the State at trial.
Camden County Police officers initially found Reyes suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the 1000 block of Carl Miller Blvd. in Camden Nov. 20, 2018 after a ShotSpotter activation went off. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The extensive investigation was led by Detective James Brining of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office along with Sgt. Gordon Harvey and Detective Shawn Donlon of the Camden County Police Department.
The team tracked down surveillance footage that captured the defendants fleeing the scene of the homicide in a vehicle they later abandoned on a nearby street.
Additional surveillance footage showed the defendants discarding their clothing as they continued to run from the area.
During the trial, Agent William Shute of the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified cell phone records placed Miller in the area at the time of the homicide.
Spittal also presented evidence that showed that Miller contacted the registered vehicle owner after the shooting and told them to report the vehicle stolen.
Further testimony revealed that the clothing that was discarded by Curtis Miller tested positive for gunshot residue.
Miller and Wilkins face a minimum of 30 years to a maximum of life behind bars. They’re scheduled for sentencing March 26, 2020 before the Honorable Judge Gwendolyn Blue.