(From left) Zion Williams, Rahein McInnis and Togbah Kpehe
Three city men have been indicted on murder charges in connection with the October 2017 North 25 housing complex shooting that killed a city woman and injured a 14-year-old girl.
Zion Williams, 19; Rahein McInnis, 32; and Togbah Kpehe, 24, have each been indicted on one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree aggravated assault and numerous weapons offenses on allegations they participated in the afternoon shooting that killed 58-year-old Wilma Rutledge and wounded the teenage victim.
Meanwhile, two juveniles arrested in the case could potentially be charged as adults. The juvenile defendants were both 16 at the time of their arrests last October. Motions to waive them up to adult criminal court are pending, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
A grand jury last Friday handed up the 14-count indictment that named Williams, McInnis and Kpehe as defendants, according to court records. McInnis and Togbah are convicted felons who have each previously pleaded guilty to drug distribution charges. As such, last week’s indictment also charged McInnis and Togbah with one count of certain persons not to possess a firearm.
The fatal North 25 shooting incident occurred about 3:10 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2017, at the intersection of Carver Lane and North Willow Street in Trenton. Both gunshot victims were transported to the hospital by private means. Rutledge, a local grandmother, was pronounced dead at the hospital while the teenager sustained non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Wilma Rutledge (Facebook Photo)
Police arrested Williams and both juvenile defendants on or about Oct. 20, 2017. Williams is represented by private defense attorney Robin Lord. Prosecutors say Williams and both juveniles were armed to the teeth when Kpehe dropped them off near the North 25 housing complex on the date of the murder.
Kpehe is represented by private defense attorney Andrew Ferencevych and has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 6, 2017. McInnis is represented by private defense attorney Mark Fury and has been in custody since his Oct. 25 arrest.
The three adult defendants in the case remain incarcerated without bail on pretrial detention.