FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ (Somerset County) – Two Somerset County men have been arrested in connection to a homicide that occurred Tuesday in Franklin Township, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson.
On May 18, at around 12:04 a.m., township police responded to a 9-1-1 call at a residence on Holland Drive for a report of an adult male in distress following a physical altercation, Robertson said.
Responding officers found an unresponsive adult male inside of the residence, who was identified as Jamari R. Stephenson, 23, of Holland Drive. Officers quickly ascertained that he had been stabbed numerous times and began life saving measures along with emergency responding medical personnel. The efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced deceased at the scene, Robertson said.
Detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department, along with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and Investigator’s from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene to conduct the investigation which remains on-going, Robertson said.
“A post-mortem examination was subsequently performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office which ruled Stephenson’s death a homicide,” Robertson said.
As a result of the investigation, Nasir J. Williams aka “Duck”, 20, and Ishadir S. Hunter aka “Ice”, 22 both from Somerset were arrested without incident on May 19, Robertson said.
Williams was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree armed robbery and third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Hunter was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree armed robbery, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal mischief.
Both were lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, Robertson said.
Anyone with information relating to this homicide to contact the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
