TRENTON >> Talaya Greenfield might finally know who killed her son.
Talaya Greenfield grasps a portrait of her son, taken when he was young boy. (Isaac Avilucea - The Trentonian)
Sworn court papers filed this month in the ongoing lawsuit the Trenton woman brought against the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and city police last year suggest authorities are close to making arrests.
James Scott, an assistant prosecutor who heads the homicide unit, said in a certification there are “potentially identifiable suspects” in the murder of Jamer Greenfield, who was gunned down in Trenton in July 2014.
The unsolved case has dragged on for more than three years but is drawing to a close as the county homicide task force appears close to nabbing its targets.
“It is necessary for the MHTF to conduct additional interviews before the case will be in a position for review and potential issuance of arrest warrants and subsequent presentation to a grand jury for indictment(s),” Scott wrote.
The sworn court papers were filed in support of a motion to quash a subpoena, known as a duces tectum, issued by Patrick Whalen, the attorney representing Ms. Greenfield.
He asked for police reports, an autopsy and other documents related to the investigation.
Ms. Greenfield sued the prosecutor’s office last year, frustrated after she was unable to get her son’s autopsy report.
Talaya Greenfield sits before a Trentonian cafeteria table with documents and papers related to her slain son on Nov. 6, 2015 during an interview. (Scott Ketterer - The Trentonian)
Her attorney in a federal lawsuit accused local cops and prosecutors of a race-based conspiracy to “conceal” the identity of Jamer’s killer.
The lawsuit suggested police may have caused or contributed to the Trenton man’s death.
Scott’s sworn affidavit contradicts those allegations. In it, he said the prosecutor’s office has dedicated “time and manpower to ensure the responsible parties are brought to justice.”
Scott, who said he could not comment beyond what was in the papers, suggested that forcing the prosecutor’s office to turn over documents from the investigation would adversely impact the case.
“Due to the status of the Greenfield homicide, it is not appropriate or timely to release the material that plaintiff seeks in the subject subpoena,” the assistant prosecutor said. “Divulging the contents of the MHTF’s investigation file would be unreasonable and counterproductive to the continued pursuit of charges concerning the death of Mr. Greenfield.”
The prosecutor’s office was still required to respond to the subpoena despite being dismissed as a defendant in Ms. Greenfield’s lawsuit.
The county has also been dismissed as a defendant, according to court papers, leaving only claims against the Trenton Police department
A federal judge hasn’t issued a decision on the subpoena request.
Whalen did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment.