The man accused of killing 33-year-old Pinkey Priester was indicted on December 19, the Mercer County Prosecutor's office said Tuesday.
A grand jury indicted Tomarkus Whitfield, 36, of Trenton on one count of murder, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and one count of second-degree certain persons not to possess a firearm.
Tomarkus Whitfield
According to reports, police responded to a shooting in progress in the 300 block of Centre Street on June 16. When they arrived they found Priester lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died after being taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
It was alleged in a previous report that Whitfield stood over Priester and fired several shots (in excess of 10) while he lay on the ground after what was reportedly a financial dispute between the pair. Whitfield was arrested on June 24 by Mercer County Prosecutor’s Detective Gary Wasko and the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force on Division Street.
At a July bail hearing, Whitfield's public defender asked for a reduced bail, saying authorities have “no gun, no physical evidence."
Despite the public defender's request, Whitfield remains in the Mercer County Correction Center in lieu of $750,000 cash bail.
According to the July report, Robert Billmeier weighed Whitfield's prior criminal history of weapons offenses in upholding the bail amount.