(left to right) Wilson George, Jayshawn Smith and Juprie Wadley
Three city teens who were arrested earlier this year after another teen was killed in the capital city have been charged with murder in connection with the case.
Wilson George, Jashawn Smith and Juprie Wadley are each charged with murder and complicity offenses in connection with the shooting death of 15-year-old Maurice Wimbush-Jalaah, who was gunned down June 11.
Police apprehended all three suspects almost immediately following the daylight killing, but George was released because he was not in possession of a gun at the time he was stopped. Smith and Wadley allegedly had weapons with them when police apprehended the trio on Louise Lane following the fatal shooting. Another gun was found on the ground on Louise Lane, and police later charged George with weapons offenses for allegedly tossing it before his apprehension.
Wimbush-Jalaah was shot around 3:45 p.m. that Saturday in Prospect Village, which is a Trenton Housing Authority complex. He later died at the hospital.
At this time, police have not disclosed a suspected motive for the killing, but detectives who spoke on condition of anonymity said street hustlers from Prospect Village have been “beefing” with hustlers from the North 25 Housing complex for a while. The apartment complexes are less than a 15-minute walk from each other, and pedestrians would more than likely cross Calhoun Street, which intersects with Louise Lane, if they were to walk from one complex to the other.
George has been incarcerated since June. Smith and Wadley were arrested again Wednesday morning in Trenton by members of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Bail for each teen was set at $1 million cash or bond.