Pleasantville Man Found Guilty of Attempted Murder of Atlantic City Woman

MAYS LANDING – An Atlantic County jury returned a guilty verdict against a Pleasantville man yesterday, in connection with the attempted murder of an Atlantic City woman in 2013, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.

Yesterday, July 21, 2015, concluding a 3-day trial, an Atlantic County jury found Quashawn K. Jones, 39, of the 300 block of Broad Street, Pleasantville, NJ, guilty of attempted murder and 7 additional criminal counts, in connection with the shooting on November 18, 2013 of Andrea Allen, now 30, of Atlantic City.

The jury found Jones guilty of:

1. Attempted Murder, for purposely attempting to cause the death of Andrea Allen on November 18, 2013 by shooting her three times—a crime of the 1st degree, 
2. Witness Tampering, by attempting to cause the victim to testify or inform
   falsely—1st degree crime, 
3. Attempted Murder, for engaging in a course of conduct between February and
   March of 2014 intended to culminate in the death of the victim—a 1st degree
   crime, 
4. 2nd degree Aggravated assault, for purposely or knowingly cause serious bodily
   injury to the victim, 
5. 3rd degree Aggravated assault, for purposely or knowingly causing bodily injury to
   the victim with a deadly weapon, 
6. Possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose—2nd degree crime, 
7. Unlawful possession of a handgun without a permit—2nd degree crime,and 
8. Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Person—a 2nd degree crime. 

At 6:23 a.m. on November 13, 2013, Atlantic City police responded to North South Carolina Avenue for a report of shots fired and the sound of a woman screaming. Upon arrival, police were flagged down and directed to an apartment, where they found Andrea Allen, lying on the floor, suffering from three gunshot wounds to the torso and neck. Allen was transported with life-threatening injuries to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center—City Division.

A short time later and a short distance away, police found a man standing on Route 30 trying to flag down cars. He was later identified as Quashawn Jones—after he had given police a false name, and claimed that he and a woman had been the targets of a shooting.

The investigation by the Atlantic City Police Department led to Jones’s arrest for aggravated assault and weapons offenses for the shooting of Allen. He was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $200,000 full cash bail.

During the trial the State alleged, and presented evidence to support the assertion, that it was from jail that Jones tried to induce Allen not to testify against him, then took steps to have her killed or to get out to kill her himself.

Jones was indicted on the charges by an Atlantic County Grand Jury on November 6, 2014.

During his closing argument before the jury yesterday, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Cary Shill, who represented the State in the case, said of Jones’s defense, “He [Jones] is an unreliable narrator...who wanted justice in the street. Andrea Allen wanted justice here—and not on the street. She did the right thing, coming here to testify: that took courage. But you know why this man wants justice on the street, and not here? Because his chances are better.”

The Atlantic County jury deliberated less than three (3) hours before returning a guilty verdict on all charges to Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Michael A. Donio.

The 1st degree conviction carries a potential penalty of 10-20 years of incarceration in New Jersey State prison. The 2nd degree conviction carries a potential penalty of 5-10 years, and a 3rd degree conviction carries a potential penalty of 3-5 years. Pursuant to the No Early Release Act (NERA), Jones will be required to serve 85% of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

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.