Breion Greenfield (contributed photo)

A local street hustler describes Breion Greenfield as the type of person who “lived his life like every minute was his last.” Greenfield’s family describes him as a loving father who had a “playful side” underneath a “tough, street-wise” exterior. Police, though, describe him as a “stickup man” and “chronic armed robber.”

Breion Greenfield, 30, was murdered Wednesday in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Police have not disclosed how many times Greenfield was struck, but sources say he was shot at least once in the chest. A man who was tinting windows on Proctor Avenue, about 50 yards away from where gunfire erupted in the park, said he heard about five gunshots.

What was supposed to be a Thanksgiving celebration filled with joy and family affection turned into a day of mourning and sorrowful reflection. Greenfield, who previously missed several holiday celebrations due to being incarcerated, had planned a Thanksgiving feast with family. He wasn’t an exceptional cook — fried chicken and fish is what he knew best — but he told his fiancee that he’d help her out as much as he could.

The Greenfield family canceled their Thanksgiving celebration after receiving news of Breion’s death. His mother Monica couldn’t find words to describe her grief, but other relatives spoke about Breion’s desire to change his life to become a better role model for his children.

“He said he didn't want his son to be anything like him,” his fiancee Dora Watkins, who’s now left to raise their four kids alone, said. “He wanted to change for his son.”

Earlier this year, Greenfield was arrested for allegedly robbing a man on Union Street with an imitation Uzi. Days later, Greenfield escaped from custody. Wearing only a hospital gown, socks and handcuffs, Greenfield escaped from corrections officers while at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was taken for unspecified medical attention. After wriggling one of his hands free from shackles, Greenfield led authorities on a chase through the city, breaking the window of a home on Nassau Street. He later forced his way into a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before he was apprehended.

At the time of his death, Greenfield was out on bail. His fiancee said he was scheduled to appear in court next month for charges related to the escape, and that he was worried about the outcome.

“He was really stressed about possibly not being with us on Christmas because he might be in jail,” Watkins said.

Recently, Greenfield had spoken with several relatives about leaving the street life, and he told some of them that he regretted things he had done in the past. Greenfield was expected to testify as a state witness in the upcoming murder trial of Mikal Bush, who is accused of gunning down Hassan “Fozz” Peters in 2008. One of Greenfield’s relatives lived a door down from where Peters was shot on Bellevue Avenue, a place Greenfield often visited. Prosecutors believe Peters was an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire of Bush’s alleged retaliation plot. At a pretrial hearing earlier this year, Greenfield testified that he used a 9mm handgun to rob Bush of heroin, a watch and $450 in cash on the same day Peters was killed.

Breion Greenfield (contributed photo)

“I want Fozz’s mom to know the truth,” Greenfield said in July. “It’s my fault. If it wasn’t for me, he’d still be alive. I did something I had no business doing. Fozz got shot over it.”

Bush, who is free on $600,000 bail, has maintained his innocence in Peters’ slaying. His trial is scheduled for May 2016. Greenfield was never charged for the robbery involving Bush because the statute of limitations expired, officials said.

“Breion didn't know himself why he did bad things to other people,” his aunt Talaya Greenfield said. “When he got out of jail the last time, I thought he was going to change. But he didn't have anyone to guide him in the right direction.”

The Greenfield’s are no strangers to tragically ill-timed deaths. Last year, Breion’s cousin Jamer was gunned down on Rosemont Avenue.

After Breion’s murder Wednesday, his family waited several hours at the hospital but were eventually told they couldn’t see his body because it had been shipped to the morgue. Perhaps it’s best they’re left with memories of him smiling and playing with his children, as opposed to lying on a gurney, or hospital bed, riddled with bullets.

“When I first saw Breion after he was born, he was so bright and had sparkling, beautiful eyes,” Talaya said. “I will never forget his eyes. No matter what he did to people, he didn't deserve to die like that. He wanted to make things better, but he didn't know which way to turn. He needed guidance, love and affection.”

Breion’s murder is the second homicide to occur in the capital city this week. On Tuesday morning, 19-year-old Elvin Kimble was killed during a shootout in Chambersburg. Police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity say Kimble was found wearing a ski mask, and that he still had a gun in his hand at the time of his death. Investigators believe Kimble planned a robbery, but was killed by his target.

Anyone with information about either of this week’s murders is asked to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or contact the Trenton Police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663. Individuals may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tip line at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip can send a message labeledTCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

-Trentonian reporter Isaac Avilucea contributed to this report.

Edna White showed no remorse inside an empty criminal courtroom in Mercer County, coldly admitting stabbing her former boyfriend to death nearly 22 months ago.

“I’m guilty,” she told Judge Robert Billmeier on Monday. “So what else can I do?”

Edna White

White, 57, was charged with murder for stabbing Dwelle Jerome Clark to death Feb. 14, 2014. She pleaded guilty to an open count of aggravated manslaughter, and the most time she can be sentenced to is 13 years under terms of a capped plea deal limiting her exposure time.

She would be eligible for parole in roughly 11 years if the judge hands down the maximum time allowed under terms of the plea deal, and she already has nearly two years of jail credits.

Still, Patrick O’Hara, White’s attorney, plans to argue for less time than that, although he did not say in open court how little time he would argue for.

Whatever sentence the judge imposes, White must serve five years of parole supervision once she is released.

For White, who could have spent the remainder of her days in state prison had she taken her case to trial and been convicted by a jury of murder, it seemed like a steal of a deal. None of Clark’s family members were in court for the plea.

Sitting in a wheelchair with her hair pulled back into tight, short cornrows, White seemed more interested in getting the plea over with than showing any sort of contrition for her actions.

Dwelle Clark and daughter

She appeared more upset her sentence would not be imposed in time for Christmas so she can be transferred to a state prison for women rather than remaining at the county jail where she has been held on bail since she was charged with causing Clark’s death.

“I don’t want no sentence,” she told her attorney. “I just wanna be out of the county. I don’t wanna be around that stuff.”

White spoke cavalierly before the judge took the bench and was overheard telling O’Hara about a family member who had allegedly just gotten jammed up for stealing credit cards.

“I wouldn’t do that,” she said.

Her outrage over the theft charges appeared misplaced given that this is White’s second conviction for aggravated manslaughter. White stabbed a previous boyfriend to death in 1980 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for it.

White said her spat with Clark, whom she had rekindled a relationship with while renting a room from his mother, had been brewing for three months when it came to a head over $20 dollars.

Witnesses have said White stabbed Clark after he caught her rummaging through his mother’s purse and told her to “stay out” of her belongings. Clark died at a hospital three days later.

She admitted she went into her upstairs bedroom and retrieved a seven-inch knife laying on top of her dresser drawer. She admitted stabbing Clark once in the chest, in a manner that showed “extreme indifference for life.” But her admission came with a caveat as she stated she did so after Clark allegedly struck her.

“I wasn’t thinking at the time,” she said. “I wanted him to get away from me.”

That led Billmeier to ask the woman’s attorney whether she was asserting a self-defense claim. O’Hara said his client wasn’t, and the plea deal went forward.

White is expected to be sentenced in mid-January.

An attorney for Mikal Bush, who is free on $600,000 bail and set to go on trial for murder next year, says his client had nothing to do with the death of a key witness in his case.

Breion Greenfield (contributed photo)

The witness is Breion Greenfield, who was gunned down last week in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Trenton.

Police have not named any suspects in the slaying, nor have they identified any persons of interest.

Bush and Greenfield allegedly had bad blood in the past, and Bush is believed to have targeted Greenfield during a drive-by shooting Oct. 8, 2008.

Prosecutors have said the attempted hit ended in the death of Hassan Peters, an innocent bystander who was playing cards at a residence on the first block of Bellevue Avenue when he was stuck in a hail of bullets.

“I’m certain Mr. Bush had nothing to do with the demise of Mr. Greenfield,” Edward Bertucio, Bush’s attorney, said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I’m his lawyer, and I know that to be the case. We’ll let the investigation into Mr. Greenfield’s death unfold and deal with it in the course of trial when it comes it up.”

Bush is scheduled to go on trial in May 2016. It’s unclear if the trial could be postponed due to the death of Greenfield, but Bush’s attorney said he is opposed to any delay.

“This case has languished long enough as it is, and Mr. Bush wants to get this case behind him,” Bertucio said.

It’s unclear if a judge would grant an extension if it comes to that since Greenfield was a pivotal witness who was expected to testify he robbed Bush of a watch, drugs and $450 in cash the day Peters was gunned down.

Greenfield’s aunt lived on Bellevue Avenue, and he testified to as much at a pretrial hearing.

“I want Fozz [Peters]’s mom to know the truth,” Greenfield said in July. “It’s my fault. If it wasn’t for me, he’d still be alive. I did something I had no business doing. Fozz got shot over it.”

A spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about if her office believes Greenfield’s death is tied to his status as a witness in an upcoming murder trial.

However, witness intimidation is a common refrain among prosecutors in Trenton. And no one needs to look further than the 2004 murder of Jeri Lynn Dotson, a “queen” in the Latin Kings who was killed because she witnessed the abduction of her roommate, Alex Ruiz.

Greenfield’s family said he was worried about taking the stand.   

“He was always nervous about testifying in the trial,” said Talaya Greenfield, the victim’s aunt. “He was just getting a lot pressure from the prosecutor. They were upset at him for embarrassing them.”

Talaya Greenfield was referring to her nephew’s recent legal troubles. He had been arrested for allegedly robbing a man in July on Union Street with an imitation Uzi.

Days later, Greenfield escaped custody.

Wearing only a hospital gown, socks and handcuffs, Greenfield slipped corrections officers while at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was taken for unspecified medical attention. He wriggled one of his hands free from the shackles and led authorities on a chase through the city, breaking the window of a home on Nassau Street. He forced his way into a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before he was apprehended.

Greenfield’s family said they are unaware of any specific enemies he made on the streets, but police have said he was a notorious “stickup robber.”

Greenfield was free on $100,000 bail and had an upcoming court date. His family does not know why he was in the park that day, hours before Thanksgiving. And they haven’t received much information from authorities because the investigation is ongoing.

Talaya Greenfield remembers her last conversation with her nephew.

“He always called me his No. 1 auntie,” she said.

Randy Kareem Washington

A man accused of killing two people last year has been indicted in connection with the death of 43-year-old George Jamison.

Randy Washington, 34, was indicted last week on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, robbery and related weapons offenses in connection with Jamison’s death.

Jamison, of Pennington, was shot once in the back while sitting on a bus stop bench in front of 18 North Broad Street in July last year; he later died at the hospital. Prosecutors say Washington robbed Jamison at gunpoint before he shot him, and then fled from the scene on a bicycle.

Washington has also been indicted in connection with the shooting death of 64-year-old Silas Johnson, who was gunned down in October last year.

Ernier Pacheco

A city man who was indicted earlier this year in connection with the 2014 stabbing death of Alberto Saquic, now faces aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident that happened three months before Saquic’s murder.

Ernier Pacheco, 19, is currently in jail awaiting trial for the murder of 21-year-old Saquic, which Pacheco claims was self-defense. But over the past 16 months, police developed enough probable cause to charge Pacheco in connection with an assault that sent one man to the hospital with a head injury caused by a baseball bat.

Around 11:45 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2014, four people were walking in the 200 block of Cummings Avenue when two suspects approached them from behind. Police say two of the four people in the initial group were slightly ahead of the others, when the two in the rear were assaulted.

Police say one victim was hit in the head with a baseball bat, and the other victim was punched in the head with a closed fist. The two people walking ahead of the others then turned to help the victims, police say, and the suspects fled. But while the suspects were running, one of the victims managed to grab a suspect’s jacket.

Later, on Nov. 30, 2014, Saquic was stabbed in the chest while outside of Chapala II Mexican Grill and Bar in the Chambersburg section of the city; he later died at the hospital. Pacheco was arrested that same day and charged with murder and weapons offenses in connection with Saquic’s death, and he remains in jail on $750,000 bail. Prosecutors say the incident was captured by surveillance video, and that Saquic was laying on a ramp outside the bar being restrained by bouncers when Pacheco lunged at him with a knife, stabbing him once in the chest.

Police continued to investigate the August 2014 assault, and over the past 16 months investigators gathered enough evidence to charge Pacheco with aggravated assault and weapons offenses in connection with the baseball bat attack.

Bail for Pacheco’s new charges was set at $100,000 cash.

This mural in memory of Unkle Lord, aka Davae Dickson, was painted by Will Kasso of S.A.G.E. Coalition at the corner of Chambers and Locust streets. (contributed photo)

The number of people murdered in the capital city declined for a second year in a row, but the killing of any single person is a loss of one life too many.

No single person’s death is more important than another’s, as each murder brings heartbreak and suffering to people still living. Several murders captured the city’s hearts and minds this year, for a variety of reasons. This is a short list of those that were most captivating.

Elvin Kimble

Citizens who live on Division Street described it as a “gun battle.” Witnesses said they heard as many as 20 gunshots, and the remnants of a shootout were apparent as residents inspected bullet holes in their cars, firefighters washed blood off of the concrete and crime scene investigators collected shell casings.

Elvin Kimble

Elvin Kimble, 19, was found dead behind a home in the 700 block of Division Street around 6:15 a.m. on November 24. But the aforementioned shootout happened approximately six hours prior to his body being found. Police had found evidence of a shooting when they were dispatched to the intersection of Rusling Street and Chestnut Avenue around 12:30 a.m. that Tuesday, but they did not find a victim. Kimble’s body was found by citizens as they left their home to go to work.

Prosecutors say it appears Kimble was shot near the intersection of Rusling and Chestnut, and then managed to run to Division Street where he collapsed and was hidden by a van. Officials also say the incident appears to have been a shootout between at least two people who were on opposite sides of Rusling Street.

Police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity say Kimble was found wearing a ski mask, and that he still had a gun in his hand at the time of his death. Investigators believe Kimble planned a robbery, but was killed by his target.

To date, no arrests have been made in connection with Kimble’s death. And it’s possible that no one will ever be charged with murder in connection with the case because it appears that Kimble was killed in self-defense.

Davae Dickson

Davae Dickson

City rapper Unkle Lord, who was a founding member of Section Family Entertainment, was gunned down in Morton Alley on September 13. It was a Sunday morning, and the presence of police cars and crime scene tape were a surprise to residents when they returned home from church.

At the time of his death, Lord — whose legal name is Davae Dickson— was in the process of producing a new album that was expected to be released soon, according to his colleagues.

“He was rapping so that he wouldn’t be in the streets,” a man who asked to remain anonymous said. “Music is all he wanted to do.”

People who knew 21-year-old Dickson said they were surprised to hear he was murdered because “he’s not the type to be involved in trouble.” Dickson knew several street hustlers, his friends said, but he was not involved in the gang lifestyle.

Dickson’s friends described him as “a fun dude to be around,” who “had his head on his shoulders” and “could’ve been a role model for the young people” of Trenton.

In fact, people who knew Dickson loved and respected him so much that Will Kasso of S.A.G.E. Coalition painted a mural in his memory at the corner of Chambers and Locust streets.

To date, no arrests have been made in connection with Dickson’s death.

Jah’vae Minney

Jah'vae Minney

Sixteen-year-old Jah’vae Minney was the only minor to be killed in the city this year, and his death sparked an unexpected outcry. After he was gunned down near the corner of Prospect Street and Bellevue Avenue on June 26, pictures of Minney fanning cash and flashing street signs were shared across social media; and The Trentonian published a picture of a memorial banner that included the phrase “#116 Gang” on the front page of the newspaper.

Readers concluded that Minney was a gangbanger, and in the July 2 edition of the newspaper, contributors to Back Talk assumed he was killed because he was in a gang. Citizens also called police claiming there was an issue with “Vae Gang” or “Twizzy Gang,” but law enforcement concluded those phrases were nothing more than his friends representing him and mourning his death.

After speaking with city officials and members of the community, The Trentonian learned that Minney had applied for a summer job with the City of Trenton about 10 days before his death. His father Eric Parks said Minney also applied for another job, but was murdered before he had a chance to interview for the position. Minney was also an active member of Shiloh Baptist Church, which he attended on a regular basis for at least a year and a half.

Police acknowledged that some of the people rumored to associate with Minney may have questionable pasts, but it appears Minney himself was trying to live a straight life. People who knew Minney defended him on social media and said he was not a member of a gang. The misperceptions surrounding Minney’s death led to a series of articles about the state of gangs in Trenton.

To date, no one has been arrested for Minney’s murder.

The numbers in this report are pulled from Homicide Watch Trenton’s database, unless otherwise noted. For more information, use the sorting features of the victims and suspects databases, or explore the map.

In 2015, the city experienced 19 homicides, which includes the deaths of John Covington and Tina Anderson, whom both were killed via automobile accidents that were later determined to be vehicular homicides.

According to the New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit, vehicular homicides are considered manslaughter and are not reported as a homicide statistic. Therefore, New Jersey State Police will report Trenton’s official homicide number as 17. The Trentonian, however, includes vehicular homicides in its yearly homicide count.

June was the deadliest month with five people killed. On two different dates, two people died from injuries suffered in separate incidents: June 24 and Sept. 24. There was a seven-day period in which four people were killed. There were no homicides during the months of August, October and December.

Eighteen victims were male, one was female.

Seven homicides occurred in the North Ward, more than any other ward. The West Ward experienced six killings.

Six victims were in their 20s at the time of their death, and six victims in their 40s were killed in 2015 as well.

The oldest victim was 72-year-old city activist James Wells, who died 11 days after being robbed and beaten on East Hanover Street. The youngest was 16-year-old Jah’vae Minney, who was gunned down near the corner of Prospect Street and Bellevue Avenue.

Eighteen victims were black, and one was Hispanic: 48-year-old Alberto Moya-Cuevas, from Mexico, who died in an arson fire on Elmer Street.

Shootings killed 12 people in the capital city, more than any other homicide method. Three people were stabbed to death.

Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, 16 died at the hospital.

Nine suspects were arrested in connection with homicides that occurred in 2015; two of them are female.

The majority of incidents happened between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Four killings occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Using 2014 census data, and the 17 homicides that state police will officially report to the FBI, Trenton’s 2015 murder rate is 20.22 homicides per 100,000 residents.

Mercer County had two hung juries in back-to-back murder trials in two weeks, a vexing problem for prosecutors that legal experts said could point to flaws in the cases, flaws in the way their cases were presented or flaws in jurors.

Legal experts wrangled over an alphabet soup of possibilities when they were contacted by The Trentonian, which focused on the hung juries as part for its end-of-the-year story detailing the county’s most riveting criminal cases.

But the experts said without more information, and input from jurors who deliberated the gang murder cases of Shaheed Brown and Isiah Greene, it’s hard to put a finger on anything specific.

“I guess you call it unusual,” said Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University and a former Manhattan prosecutor. “But I don’t know if you can make any rational conclusions about the jury pool or whether they are predisposed not to convict based on those two cases.

“You really never know what went on in the jury room. It’s one of those fascinating and vexing phenomena in criminal justice. The jury does what they want to do and their verdict can’t be impeached.”

Looking at demographics in Mercer County could untangle part of the mystery, legal experts said.

Mercer County, with an estimated 371,000 residents, plucks jurors from all municipalities including Trenton, Hamilton, Princeton and other places.

More than half of 84,000 people who live in Trenton are black, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, contrasting with Princeton, where 72 percent of the more than 30,000 residents are white.

“Generally, in places in where you have large urban populations, there is a little more skepticism or distrust of the government or the police that creates a higher burden for the government,” said J.C. Lore, a law professor at Rutgers University. “That could be something. But the holdout could have been from Princeton.”

Legal experts said interviews with jurors are critical when figuring out reasons that resulted in the hung juries. But in both cases, The Trentonian was unable to interview any of the 24 jurors.

In Greene’s case, jurors were deliberately steered away from a Trentonian reporter. In Brown’s case, Judge Andrew Smithson poisoned any chance of jurors interviewing when he blasted a reporter for publishing a story about a secret conversation he had with juror, Mark Nalbone, based off a recording it obtained lawfully.

The judge accused The Trentonian of violating a nonexistent court order not to publish the juror’s name.

Gershman said the judge’s comments were “heavy-handed” and did not benefit prosecutors or defense attorneys who could have learned what juries thought about the way they presented their cases based off interviews with the media.

The dynamics, while circumstantial in some respects, were different in each case. No DNA evidence linked Brown, a former Newark gang member, to the murder of Enrico Smalley Jr. outside of crime-riddled La Guira Bar.

The case was based on witness testimony and a grainy surveillance video depicting Brown, wearing a black glove on his hand, and Smalley together moments before shots rang out.

Assistant Prosecutor Brian McCauley was frustrated with the jury’s indecision, saying jurors “didn’t see the same trial I did because if they did he would be convicted right now. I cannot understand how they reached any other conclusion.”

The outcome in Greene’s case was also hard to fathom for Assistant Prosecutor James Scott, who believed critical DNA evidence linked Greene to the murder of high-ranking Bloods gang member Quaadir “Ace” Gurley.

Greene’s blood was found at the housing project where Gurley was shot, and a scientist testified the match to Greene’s DNA profile was astronomical. Greene also reported being shot at another location within minutes of Gurley being shot.

Prosecutors believed Greene shot himself in the foot, and hobbled away like a wounded deer, after gunning down Gurley. Greene took the stand and said he went to the housing project to pick up a friend when he was injured in crossfire. He contended he saw the shooter flee.

A woman who lived next to Gurley testified she saw a dark-skinned black man in all white clothing fleeing the housing project shortly after shots rang out.

But she also opened the door for Greene’s defense attorney, Mark Fury, who is no stranger to hung juries. He was the attorney for Jose “Boom Bat” Negrete, the Latin Kings leader who was convicted in 2015 at a fourth trial of ordering the murder of gang “queen” Jeri Lynn Dotson and the near-strangulation of gang turncoat Alex Ruiz.

Negrete’s first trial ended in a hung jury.

On cross examination in Greene’s trial, Fury got the woman to admit she considered Greene to have a fairer complexion than the shooter.

Gershman said if he had tried the cases, he would re-examine every facet of them to see if it the way they were presented impacted jurors’ decision-making.

“It’s complicated,” he said. “Jurors are human beings. The jury process in enigmatic. We don’t know how juries really decide cases. It’s a guessing game.”

Lore said there is no “golden rule” for jury selection.

“It’s a lot of chance,” he said. “You’re not trying to select jurors so much as trying to deselect jurors who worry you.”

Earlie Harrell, a high-ranking member of the Sex, Money, Murder set of the Bloods street gang, who is also known as Messiah. (Contributed photo)

Earlie Harrell, a high-ranking member of the Sex, Money, Murder set of the Bloods street gang, knew several murder victims who died in 2015. In fact, he’s known many of the victims killed in Trenton over the past 15 years.

Harrell, who’s also known as Messiah, doesn’t keep a tally of the people he’s known who are now dead, nor does he like to talk about the lives lost. But as media and community leaders analyze the capital city’s murder rate at the end of each year, Harrell can’t help but wonder if he’s been correct all along.

“I think about it all the time, and the way I see it, the politicians and city leaders are at fault for all these deaths,” Harrell said. “The people in leadership positions who have the resources to change things are at fault.”

Violent crime in the capital city has significantly declined since 2013, the deadliest year in Trenton’s history. Law enforcement officials attribute the decline to a multi-faceted crime fighting strategy that includes collaborative efforts from local, state and federal agencies. The newly reformed Mercer County Shooting Response Team and the Attorney General’s Targeted Anti-Gun (TAG) initiative are just two strategies officials say help significantly improve their ability to keep the city’s most violent criminals off of the streets.

Much of the city’s gun violence is related to drug trade, police say, and often times retaliatory in nature. So, while everyone analyzes initiatives that help solve and prevent crime, Harrell wonders why no one is questioning what caused violence to spike in the first place.

“They have to give street hustlers the tools to change,” 40-year-old Harrell said. “We need to train people to work in today's job market.”

Harrell joined Sex, Money, Murder when he was 25 years old. He said he joined the Bloods street gang because he “needed some soldiers” who would be willing to stand up and fight for civil rights and other social issues. Harrell was not raised in a broken home, he said; his mother and father have always been in his life. But he was sold on the idea of a “band of brothers” who would work together to be on their own economically.

“My family are fighters, but they're not soldiers when it comes down to social issues, and that's what I thought Bloods were, based on the information I was getting at that time,” Harrell said.

In 2005, Trenton experienced 31 homicides, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. And around that same time, Harrell decided to provide young gang members with motivation and tools to create a better life for themselves. In March 2006, Harrell spoke at The Covenant of Peace, which was a national gang summit held in Trenton dedicated to finding peaceful solutions to gang violence and creating alternatives for the city’s youth to prevent them from joining gangs.

According to court documents related to a First Amendment rights case between local documentary filmmaker Kell Ramos and the City of Trenton, several local leaders attended the 2006 gang summit, including the city’s mayor and police director who were in office at that time. Harrell later traveled across the United States promoting peace and solutions to gang violence.

Earlie Harrell, also known as Messiah, sells hand-carved candles on East State Street. September 25, 2015 (Penny Ray - Trentonian)

“They paid for me to travel around the country and use my influence to push the peace movement forward,” Harrell said. “But when I got back, I found out it was politics and not real. I was pushed to the side.”

Harrell believes his suggestions for teaching life skills to young gang members and providing them with tools to build a solid economic future were not taken seriously. So, he decided to do it himself. According to court documents, Harrell and several other street hustlers started visiting the library every day, and their attempts to gain knowledge needed to leave the gang lifestyle were documented by Ramos.

“The gang members were going to the library every day from like 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.,” Ramos said. “They were trying to learn life skills and things like that. I found that interesting.”

Harrell, his fellow street hustlers and Ramos had several encounters with police during that time. And eventually Ramos stopped filming as a result of what he believed to be police intimidation. Ramos later filed a lawsuit against the City of Trenton, alleging police officers violated his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit was originally dismissed by trial court, but Ramos appealed, and the appellate division ruled that “a documentary is a recognized form of journalism, entitled to protection of freedom of the press.” The case was then sent back to civil court, but the city and Ramos agreed to settle the case for monetary compensation.

Eventually, the library branch that Harrell and crew visited closed down, and several street hustlers returned to dealing drugs and other crimes. Harrell said hustlers who were going to the library and trying to live a law-abiding life returned to dealing drugs because they needed money.

“We were drawing a lot of attention, so they wanted to take us out of the library and stuff us in the basement somewhere,” Harrell said. “I really felt like we were on the right path. We were transitioning out of the hustler lifestyle. We still had people dealing drugs at that time because that was how they made money. But a lot of us made the effort to go to the library, and no one dealt drugs from out of the library. The point was to learn how to transition out of illegal activities.”

Less than 20 people were killed in Trenton each year from 2008 to 2010, but in 2011 the death toll increased again and continued to rise through 2013. Harrell truly believes the key to decreasing crime in the capital city is to increase employment opportunities for the city’s youth.

“I read about investors wanting to bring jobs to the city, but who would be the workforce?” Harrell asked. “Most of the citizens of Trenton are undereducated and underemployed. How do you get them prepared for these jobs when you can't even get them to dress neatly, when you can’t even get them to respect themselves? That all takes training, and welfare doesn’t prepare us for incoming jobs.”

Harrell’s comments are supported by a citywide economic market study released last year that says “employed Trenton residents have lower paying jobs reflecting the relative lack of educational attainment.” The report also states that “almost four in every five local jobs are held by persons who do not live in Trenton.” Most of the city’s workers come from surrounding towns in Mercer and Bucks counties, according to the report.

Harrell said he no longer sells drugs, but he hustles just as hard as ever to earn money and provide for his family, which includes a daughter and a grandson. He sells hand-carved candles from a sidewalk space on East State Street, and he sells paintings and other art created in collaboration with SAGE Coalition. Harrell has also held several part-time jobs.

A few years ago, Harrell and SAGE Coalition started the Positive Educational Training in Economics and Resources Project (P.E.T.E.R. PROJECT), which encourages positive attitudes toward economic empowerment. Later this year, SAGE — in collaboration with the Living Hope Empowerment Center — will host Buy a Brother or Sister a Suit Day, which aims to buy suits and provide business education to people living in Trenton’s underprivileged neighborhoods.

“To end poverty, we need to recondition negative attitudes and reinforce positive entrepreneurial skills,” Harrell said. “People of the city are suffering from lack of employment, and that leads to them doing anything out of desperation. The easiest thing to get into is drugs, so we need to give them the tools to make better decisions. I'm not a Saint and I don't claim to be a Saint, but I'm trying to help the brothers and sisters of Trenton.”

Police investigate a shooting in the area of Chambers Street and Walnut Avenue after a shooting on Saturday evening just after 6 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2016. (Scott Ketterer- The Trentonian)

A 24-year-old man who was shot on Friday night has died, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.

Late Saturday night Prosecutor's office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said that the 24-year-old victim succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on Saturday afternoon. The man was shot around 11:15 p.m. on Friday in the 100 block of Rosemont Avenue.

The victim has been identified as Jovan Marino.

The man becomes the first homicide victim this year, and the case remains under investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force.

His death comes among a spate of shootings that left at least four other men injured in less than 24 hours. A man who was shot on Saturday evening in the area of Walnut Avenue and Chambers Street remains in extremely critical condition after being shot around 6 p.m., according to police.

Police investigate a shooting in the area of Chambers Street and Walnut Avenue. Jan. 9, 2016. (Scott Ketterer- The Trentonian)

A man who was shot Saturday night later died in the hospital, becoming the city's second homicide victim this year.

Shawntay Ross, 39, was shot in the area of Walnut Avenue and Chambers Street around 6 p.m. Saturday. He died Sunday afternoon, according to a spokesperson with the county prosecutor's office.

Sources suggested another victim may have been wounded in the shooting Saturday night, but that information has not been officially confirmed by police.

On Saturday afternoon, 24-year-old Jovan Marino died from injuries suffered during a shooting that happened Friday night.

Anyone with information about either of the murders is asked to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or contact the Trenton Police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663. Individuals may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tip line at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip can send a message labeledTCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

Police investigate a shooting in the area of Chambers Street and Walnut Avenue on Jan. 9, 2016. (Scott Ketterer- The Trentonian)

On New Year’s Eve, Shawntay Ross posted a meme on his Facebook page that said, “2016 will be a selfish year. My time will be invested on me. On improving myself. I want to become a better person physically and mentally.”

Nine days later, 39-year-old Ross was gunned down near the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Chambers Street. He died Sunday afternoon.

"There's nothing negative anyone can say about him,” Marie “Murf” Antionette, who has known Ross since they were teenagers, said. “Coming from this environment in which we were all raised, yes, he was incarcerated for a short period of time. But he didn't bother anyone...not a single soul. He opened the door for his elders, he wouldn't curse around his elders, and he wouldn't smoke around his elders. He was trying to instill respectability in our youth.”

Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity say Ross seemed to be nervous on Saturday afternoon. But no one knows whether he was actually worried about something, or if that’s just how things appeared.

Police sources say Ross was not a major player in the drug game, and that he was not on law enforcement’s radar of people to watch.

Shawntay Ross (contributed photo)

“The streets talk and I haven’t heard his name brought up in any of the typical things that would result in someone's murder,” Antionette said. “I haven't heard anything about him being gang affiliated, having a gambling problem, or anything like that.”

“He was a good dude and a good dad,” one of Ross’ nephews said. “He liked to make everybody happy, and he was real calm-headed. It's sad that it happened to somebody like that.”

Ross was the second person to be killed in the capital city this weekend. Jovan Marino, 24, was shot on Friday night and died at the hospital the following day.

Although there are some months in which Trenton does not experience a homicide, it seems as if the capital city can’t get through the month of January without a murder. Dating back to 2012, at least one person has been killed within the first 31 days of each new year.

“I hope that we as a council body can come together and pay attention to these trends,” Councilwoman Phyllis Holly-Ward said Sunday afternoon. “And we really have to pay attention to the West Ward. It was once considered one of Trenton's premier neighborhoods, and these murders are starting to add up.”

Ross’ murder happened in the city’s East Ward. Marino was killed in the West Ward.

Last year, six of the city’s homicides occurred in the West Ward, and only the North Ward experienced more killings.

“If we begin to let our best neighborhoods go, we're done,” the councilwoman said, adding that she’s concerned about the entire city. “I have an investment in every area of the city. I either own a business, a home, or I live in each of the city's wards.”

The councilwoman also said the city’s murders concern her on a personal level because she’s had some type of connection to about 50 percent of the victims.

“Some of them I don't know immediately by name, but later I’ll find out that I either tutored the victim, or they were in my home with my sons at some point,” Holly-Ward said. “That's the thing about being born and raised in Trenton, you always have some kind of connection to the violence. It’s alarming.”

Ross and Marino’s deaths are the result of a violent weekend that sent several other people to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

No arrests have been made in connection with either of this year’s homicides. Anyone with information about the killings is asked to call the Mercer County Homicide Task Force at (609) 989-6406 or contact the Trenton Police confidential tip line at (609) 989-3663. Individuals may also call the Trenton Crime Stoppers tip line at (609) 278-8477. Those wishing to text a tip can send a message labeled TCSTIPS to Trenton Crime Stoppers at 274637.

A Trenton man charged with killing two people days apart in 2013 may have his murder cases tried together at a single trial if prosecutors have their way.

Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Katz said she will file court papers, known as a

Alton Jones

joinder, in the coming weeks asking to try Alton Jones together for the murders of Rayshawn Ransom and Tierra Green.

She said Jones used the same handgun to mow both Ransom and Green on Passaic Street in June 2013. Green was fatally shot in the stomach three days after Ransom was gunned down in a deadly, gang-related shootout that led to convictions of two other Trenton men.

A judge has scheduled oral arguments in Jones’ case for Feb. 16. Jones is expected to oppose prosecutors’ request for a joint trial.

Regardless of the outcome, Jones plans to fight both murder charges. Clad in a green jumpsuit, he nodded to supporters at the back of the courtroom, telling them to “Be safe” when a woman told him to keep his head up as he was led away in shackles from the courtroom.

Prosecutors said they are at an impasse in negotiations with Jones who has rejected a plea offer of 40 years in state prison, 20 years each running consecutively for two counts of aggravated manslaughter.

“We’re not making progress,” said Katz, who inherited the case from retired prosecutor Lewis Korngut.

Jones was charged along with Marquis Skillman, 29, and Dyquise Leonard, following the shooting death of Ransom, 19, who was gunned down while he sat in a car with friends on Passaic Street.

Investigators have said the fatal shot came from Jones’ automatic handgun, which witnesses said was tossed out of a getaway car that sped away from the scene.

Jones and Leonard were reportedly involved in an ongoing feud with a group of people who hailed from Passaic Street. The two groups met as part of an expected truce when Jones, Leonard and Skillman reportedly opened fire on three men, including Ransom, as he was seated in the car. Ransom’s friends were also wounded in the shootout.

Leonard pleaded guilty to attempted murder in Ransom’s death as part of a 12-year sentence.

Skillman, the twin brother of Maurice Skillman, said he was armed but did not admit to firing when he pleaded guilty to robbery last year.

He was expected to receive 11 years in state prison and was still awaiting sentencing when he was arrested last week with another man. Police said Skillman and Justice Ford, 28, were found in possession of handguns and marijuana in a stolen vehicle during a traffic stop.

It is unclear how the new charges will impact Skillman’s plea deal.

Skillman’s brother and another Trenton man are expected to go on trial this month for the November 2012 murder of Mercer County Corrections Officer Carl Batie.

Edna White showed no remorse inside an empty criminal courtroom in Mercer County, coldly admitting stabbing her former boyfriend to death nearly 22 months ago.

“I’m guilty,” she told Judge Robert Billmeier on Monday. “So what else can I do?”

Edna White

White, 57, was charged with murder for stabbing Dwelle Jerome Clark to death Feb. 14, 2014. She pleaded guilty to an open count of aggravated manslaughter, and the most time she can be sentenced to is 13 years under terms of a capped plea deal limiting her exposure time.

She would be eligible for parole in roughly 11 years if the judge hands down the maximum time allowed under terms of the plea deal, and she already has nearly two years of jail credits.

Still, Patrick O’Hara, White’s attorney, plans to argue for less time than that, although he did not say in open court how little time he would argue for.

Whatever sentence the judge imposes, White must serve five years of parole supervision once she is released.

For White, who could have spent the remainder of her days in state prison had she taken her case to trial and been convicted by a jury of murder, it seemed like a steal of a deal. None of Clark’s family members were in court for the plea.

Sitting in a wheelchair with her hair pulled back into tight, short cornrows, White seemed more interested in getting the plea over with than showing any sort of contrition for her actions.

Dwelle Clark and daughter

She appeared more upset her sentence would not be imposed in time for Christmas so she can be transferred to a state prison for women rather than remaining at the county jail where she has been held on bail since she was charged with causing Clark’s death.

“I don’t want no sentence,” she told her attorney. “I just wanna be out of the county. I don’t wanna be around that stuff.”

White spoke cavalierly before the judge took the bench and was overheard telling O’Hara about a family member who had allegedly just gotten jammed up for stealing credit cards.

“I wouldn’t do that,” she said.

Her outrage over the theft charges appeared misplaced given that this is White’s second conviction for aggravated manslaughter. White stabbed a previous boyfriend to death in 1980 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for it.

White said her spat with Clark, whom she had rekindled a relationship with while renting a room from his mother, had been brewing for three months when it came to a head over $20 dollars.

Witnesses have said White stabbed Clark after he caught her rummaging through his mother’s purse and told her to “stay out” of her belongings. Clark died at a hospital three days later.

She admitted she went into her upstairs bedroom and retrieved a seven-inch knife laying on top of her dresser drawer. She admitted stabbing Clark once in the chest, in a manner that showed “extreme indifference for life.” But her admission came with a caveat as she stated she did so after Clark allegedly struck her.

“I wasn’t thinking at the time,” she said. “I wanted him to get away from me.”

That led Billmeier to ask the woman’s attorney whether she was asserting a self-defense claim. O’Hara said his client wasn’t, and the plea deal went forward.

White is expected to be sentenced in mid-January.

An attorney for Mikal Bush, who is free on $600,000 bail and set to go on trial for murder next year, says his client had nothing to do with the death of a key witness in his case.

Breion Greenfield (contributed photo)

The witness is Breion Greenfield, who was gunned down last week in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Trenton.

Police have not named any suspects in the slaying, nor have they identified any persons of interest.

Bush and Greenfield allegedly had bad blood in the past, and Bush is believed to have targeted Greenfield during a drive-by shooting Oct. 8, 2008.

Prosecutors have said the attempted hit ended in the death of Hassan Peters, an innocent bystander who was playing cards at a residence on the first block of Bellevue Avenue when he was stuck in a hail of bullets.

“I’m certain Mr. Bush had nothing to do with the demise of Mr. Greenfield,” Edward Bertucio, Bush’s attorney, said in a phone interview Tuesday. “I’m his lawyer, and I know that to be the case. We’ll let the investigation into Mr. Greenfield’s death unfold and deal with it in the course of trial when it comes it up.”

Bush is scheduled to go on trial in May 2016. It’s unclear if the trial could be postponed due to the death of Greenfield, but Bush’s attorney said he is opposed to any delay.

“This case has languished long enough as it is, and Mr. Bush wants to get this case behind him,” Bertucio said.

It’s unclear if a judge would grant an extension if it comes to that since Greenfield was a pivotal witness who was expected to testify he robbed Bush of a watch, drugs and $450 in cash the day Peters was gunned down.

Greenfield’s aunt lived on Bellevue Avenue, and he testified to as much at a pretrial hearing.

“I want Fozz [Peters]’s mom to know the truth,” Greenfield said in July. “It’s my fault. If it wasn’t for me, he’d still be alive. I did something I had no business doing. Fozz got shot over it.”

A spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about if her office believes Greenfield’s death is tied to his status as a witness in an upcoming murder trial.

However, witness intimidation is a common refrain among prosecutors in Trenton. And no one needs to look further than the 2004 murder of Jeri Lynn Dotson, a “queen” in the Latin Kings who was killed because she witnessed the abduction of her roommate, Alex Ruiz.

Greenfield’s family said he was worried about taking the stand.   

“He was always nervous about testifying in the trial,” said Talaya Greenfield, the victim’s aunt. “He was just getting a lot pressure from the prosecutor. They were upset at him for embarrassing them.”

Talaya Greenfield was referring to her nephew’s recent legal troubles. He had been arrested for allegedly robbing a man in July on Union Street with an imitation Uzi.

Days later, Greenfield escaped custody.

Wearing only a hospital gown, socks and handcuffs, Greenfield slipped corrections officers while at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was taken for unspecified medical attention. He wriggled one of his hands free from the shackles and led authorities on a chase through the city, breaking the window of a home on Nassau Street. He forced his way into a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before he was apprehended.

Greenfield’s family said they are unaware of any specific enemies he made on the streets, but police have said he was a notorious “stickup robber.”

Greenfield was free on $100,000 bail and had an upcoming court date. His family does not know why he was in the park that day, hours before Thanksgiving. And they haven’t received much information from authorities because the investigation is ongoing.

Talaya Greenfield remembers her last conversation with her nephew.

“He always called me his No. 1 auntie,” she said.

Randy Kareem Washington

A man accused of killing two people last year has been indicted in connection with the death of 43-year-old George Jamison.

Randy Washington, 34, was indicted last week on charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, robbery and related weapons offenses in connection with Jamison’s death.

Jamison, of Pennington, was shot once in the back while sitting on a bus stop bench in front of 18 North Broad Street in July last year; he later died at the hospital. Prosecutors say Washington robbed Jamison at gunpoint before he shot him, and then fled from the scene on a bicycle.

Washington has also been indicted in connection with the shooting death of 64-year-old Silas Johnson, who was gunned down in October last year.

Ernier Pacheco

A city man who was indicted earlier this year in connection with the 2014 stabbing death of Alberto Saquic, now faces aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident that happened three months before Saquic’s murder.

Ernier Pacheco, 19, is currently in jail awaiting trial for the murder of 21-year-old Saquic, which Pacheco claims was self-defense. But over the past 16 months, police developed enough probable cause to charge Pacheco in connection with an assault that sent one man to the hospital with a head injury caused by a baseball bat.

Around 11:45 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2014, four people were walking in the 200 block of Cummings Avenue when two suspects approached them from behind. Police say two of the four people in the initial group were slightly ahead of the others, when the two in the rear were assaulted.

Police say one victim was hit in the head with a baseball bat, and the other victim was punched in the head with a closed fist. The two people walking ahead of the others then turned to help the victims, police say, and the suspects fled. But while the suspects were running, one of the victims managed to grab a suspect’s jacket.

Later, on Nov. 30, 2014, Saquic was stabbed in the chest while outside of Chapala II Mexican Grill and Bar in the Chambersburg section of the city; he later died at the hospital. Pacheco was arrested that same day and charged with murder and weapons offenses in connection with Saquic’s death, and he remains in jail on $750,000 bail. Prosecutors say the incident was captured by surveillance video, and that Saquic was laying on a ramp outside the bar being restrained by bouncers when Pacheco lunged at him with a knife, stabbing him once in the chest.

Police continued to investigate the August 2014 assault, and over the past 16 months investigators gathered enough evidence to charge Pacheco with aggravated assault and weapons offenses in connection with the baseball bat attack.

Bail for Pacheco’s new charges was set at $100,000 cash.

A Trenton teenager accused of fatally shooting another teen during a botched drug deal has a new attorney.

Alberto Lopez, 18, is now represented by defense attorney Mark Fury. He was being represented by public defender Jason Charles Matey.

Lopez was 16 when he allegedly shot 17-year-old Shamere Melvin in the head during a botched robbery in December 2013 on the 300 block of North Clinton Avenue.

Lopez has been transferred from a juvenile detention center in Burlington County to the Mercer County corrections center and is being held on $750,000 bail.

Lopez has pleaded not guilty and has rejected a 30-year state prison sentence for murder.

Prosecutors said they have phone records and Facebook messages tying Lopez to the murder.

Lopez and his cousin reportedly arranged a drug deal that soured.

Lopez denied meeting with Melvin, prosecutors have said. He later acknowledged being in Trenton but implicated a distant cousin for the murder, prosecutors have said.

His next court appearance is set for March.

A wheel-chair-bound Edna White had suffered a stroke and the elevator from the holding cell leading to Courtroom 2C was out of commission, forcing a cadre of sheriff’s officers to maneuver her past reporters in the courtroom gallery and shuffle chairs to get her situated for sentencing.

Edna White

“We played musical chairs,” one of the sheriff’s officers said. “You won, Ms. White.”

That wasn’t the only prize for White, 58, on Thursday inside Mercer County Superior Court.

While she didn’t win her freedom, she effectively beat murder charges, and with it, a life sentence.

White pleaded guilty in November to a lesser count of aggravated manslaughter for fatally stabbing her former boyfriend and father of her child, Dwelle Jerome Clark, on Feb. 14, 2014, during an argument over $20 at his mother’s boarding home.

White’s second aggravated manslaughter conviction netted her less time in state prison than for killing another former boyfriend in 1980. She was sentenced to 15 years in the slammer for that crime, which bore a striking resemblance to the slaying of Clark.

Judge Robert Billmeier handed down a 12-year sentence, more than the 10 years White’s attorney argued for but less than the 13 years prosecutors wanted.

“You would think she would know the consequences of stabbing someone,” Billmeier said, noting her previous homicide conviction. “I can’t forget the fact she killed someone in the past.”

White, who has been jailed for nearly two years, must serve more than 10 years of her sentence under the state’s No Early Release Act before she is eligible for parole.

Without the benefit of a plea deal that capped her exposure time to 13 years, White faced 30 years for aggravated manslaughter.

Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, clarified after The Trentonian published its story that White only spent five years in prison for the 1980 homicide. Assistant Prosecutor James Scott did not mention that at White's sentencing.

White was raised by abusive adoptive parents and struggled with an addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine and she said the abuse extended to her romantic life.

White contended she and Clark began arguing when he burst into her room while she was preparing clothes for church. He accused her of stealing money from her mother after he watched her slip a wallet under the mattress, then turned violent, White said.

After Clark allegedly slapped her, White said she “flashed back” to the times he beat her while they were dating. She fell on the floor, gathered herself and retrieved a seven-inch knife from the mantle, intending to scare Clark away.

White contends when Clark lunged at her “he came into the knife.”

“I hope [Clark’s] mother can forgive me,” White said. “I just want to get on with my life and do this time … and be a better person.”

Calling the case against his client a “close legal call” and an “aggravated assault gone bad,” defense attorney Patrick O’Hara said his client reacted poorly in a “highly charged” situation. He couldn’t put up a self-defense claim, but O’Hara said Clark’s conduct led to the violence, in what amounted to blame-the-victim rhetoric.

The defense attorney told the judge sending White to jail for decades was foolhardy because she is infirmed and because a longer jail sentence “will not have a longer deterring effect.”

“She’s been to prison before,” O’Hara said.

A probation violation on a drug conviction was the least of Zihqwan “Woodiey” Clemens’ problems. He is also facing murder charges for allegedly being an accomplice in the 2013 slaying of a Trenton man.

Zihqwan Clemens

On Thursday, the probation violation became a big problem for Clemens when things didn’t go the way he planned.

Clemens pleaded guilty in October to violating probation for not paying fines and missing appointments with his probation officer.

Last year co-defendant Keith Wells-Holmes was tried and acquitted of the shooting death of graffiti artist Andre Corbett. Following the acquittal Clemens, the alleged getaway driver, had his bail was reduced to $250,000 from $1 million.

With nearly three years of time spent behind bars, Clemens pleaded guilty to the VOP hoping Judge Robert Bilmeier would give him time served. That would pave the way for his family to spring him from jail by posting bail. 

That plan, however unlikely in conception, played out worse in reality when Billmeier handed down five years.

Billmeier told Clemens he was warned by now-retired Judge Mark Fleming about the consequences if he violated probation.

“He’s left the words for me to follow,” Billmeier said.

Clemens has 1,057 days of jail credit and is almost certainly eligible for parole on the VOP. But like Billmeier said, “that’s for parole supervisors” to decide.

Clemens begged the judge for three years and for a lower bail.

After he completes his state prison sentence on the VOP, the high bail, which the judge said was on the low end of the bail guidelines, will likely keep Clemens’ family from coming up with the cash.

His actions since pleading guilty to the VOP didn’t help. He refused to speak to a probation officer trying to conduct a pre-sentencing report. Clemens told the judge he was asleep when the probation officer arrived.

Prosecutors have declined to drop murder charges against Clemens, and Assistant Prosecutor James Scott urged the judge to impose the maximum sentence on the VOP, saying it was “warranted,” because of Clemens’ lengthy record as a minor.

He also said evidence in Wells-Holmes’ murder trial suggested Clemens began dealing drugs six months after he was placed on probation for the drug conviction.