MAYS LANDING – A Ventnor man was convicted of murder in Atlantic County Superior Court for the fatal shooting eight (8) years ago of an Atlantic City man, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
Today, an Atlantic County jury found Laquay Williams, 36, of Ventnor, NJ, guilty of murder and three weapons possession charges for the 2006 shooting death of Atlantic City resident Jerrod Moss, 20, whose body was found in an Atlantic City parking lot.
On December 29, 2006, after 4:00 a.m., Atlantic City Police and the Atlantic County Major Crimes Unit responded to a New York Avenue parking lot for the report of a shooting. Jerrod Moss was found lying in a parking lot, the victim of a gunshot wound to the head. Moss was pronounced dead at the scene.
On February 14, 2013, at the conclusion of an intensive six-year-long homicide investigation conducted by Major Crimes detectives, Prosecutor McClain authorized charges against Williams for murder, felony murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapons offenses.
Williams was served the arrest warrant a week later at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, where he was serving a prison sentence on an unrelated matter. Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury set bail on these charges at $1 million.
On September 18, 2013, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Williams on four criminal counts: murder, and three (3) weapons offenses.
Today, an Atlantic County jury deliberated for two (2) hours before returning the verdict of guilty on all four criminal charges:
- Murder, a crime of the 1st degree,
- Possession of a Firearm for an Unlawful Purpose—a 2nd degree crime,
- Unlawful Possession of a Weapon—a 2nd degree crime, and Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon—a 2nd degree crime.
Williams remains in custody, and will be sentenced by Judge DeLury on March 5, 2015.
The murder conviction carries a sentence of life imprisonment in State Prison with a minimum of 30 years without parole. Pursuant to the No Early Release Act (NERA), 85% of the sentence must be served before becoming eligible for parole.
The three weapons possession charges are 2nd degree crimes that carry potential penalties of 5-10 years imprisonment.
Assistant Prosecutor Richard McKelvey, who represented the State in the case, said in his closing remarks that Williams, “killed because he thought he could get away with it. Because the code of the streets would protect him.” McKelvey said, “Eight years have gone by, but even when we think we’re through with the past, the past ain’t through with us. And today is about the past coming and calling on” the defendant.
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Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.
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