A man charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend at his UnionTownship home over the weekend is in custody, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Tuesday.
Police say Mr. Jamar I. Webber, 20, is charged with first-degree murder and two related weapons offenses in connection with the death of 19-year-old Malikah Taylor of Newark, having turned himself in to authorities without incident at the Newark Police Department’s 5th Precinct at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday evening.
Members of the Union Police Department responding to a home on the 2100 block of Melrose Parkway near the corner of Hillcrest Terrace North early Sunday morning found Taylor unresponsive at that location, having sustained serious injury, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Armando Suarez, who is prosecuting the case. Taylor was rushed to Newark’s University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly before 8 a.m.
The investigation into the shooting, led by the Union County Homicide Task Force and assisted by members of the Union Police Department, Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit, Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, and New Jersey State Police quickly resulted in Webber being identified as a suspect in the case. Webberwas charged early on Monday, and later the same day, a recent photo of him was distributed to the local news media, along with a press release announcing he was being sought by police.
After being taken into custody, Webber was transported to the Union County Jail to await a first appearance and detention hearing scheduled to take place in Union County Superior Court.
“I commend the seamless fashion in which our local, county, and state law enforcement partners worked collaboratively to bring this investigation to a swift conclusion,” said acting Prosecutor Ruotolo. “And we hope this arrest brings some measure of solace to Ms. Taylor’s loved ones.”
Anyone with information about this matter is still urged to contactProsecutor's Office Sgt. Danika Ramos at 908-451-7739, Detective Charles Clement at 908-577-6489, or Union Police Department Detective Patrick Bradley at 908-851-5086.