Trenton Gang Leader Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison

The leader of the a Trenton street gang was sentenced to 36 years in State Prison for his role in the death of a 22-year-old innocent bystander, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced on Tuesday, July 2.

Bernard Green, 31, a.ka. “Petey Black” was sentenced for ordering gang members to carry out a shooting that resulted in the death of Sharee Voorhees while she was sitting on her porch as an innocent bystander in 2005.

Green was sentenced to 36 years in prison, including 22 years without parole under the No Early Release Act. He pleaded guilty to first-degree charges of aggravated manslaughter and racketeering on March 25.

In doing so, he admitted to giving the orders to Gangster Killer Bloods gang members that resulted in Voorhees’ death. He was sentenced to 26 years on the manslaughter charge and a consecutive sentence of 10 years on the racketeering charge, Hoffman said.

Deputy Attorney General Daniel I. Bornstein prosecuted Green and his co-defendants, Hoffman said. He also handled the sentencing.

“The killing of Sharee Voorhees, a young bystander, shattered the community and brought home the heartbreaking senselessness of gang violence,” Hoffman said.  “While no resolution will set things right in this tragic case, this lengthy sentence serves justice and removes this violent gang leader from the community to prison, where he belongs.”

Voorhees was killed on Aug. 28, 2005, when members of the Gangster Killer Bloods opened fire on an SUV on Monmouth Street in Trenton. They mistakenly believed Joseph James, a.k.a. “Hell Rell,” a high ranking member of the rival Nine Trey Gangsters was in the car.

Michael Cadlett was actually driving the car, and was carrying five passengers, Hoffman said. Cadlett was shot in the stomach.

Keith “Droop” Parker, 32, plead guilty to the attempted murder of Cadlett, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, 13 years without parole.

“Operation Capital City,” an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Trenton Police Department and New Jersey State Police resulted in 15 gang members being charged in connection with Voorhees’ death in a July 14, 2010 indictment. One more gang member was added to the indictment at a later date.

“The road that brought Green to justice was long, but it was also certain, thanks to the outstanding team of law enforcement professionals who investigated and prosecuted this high-stakes case,” Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie said. “The team convicted all 16 defendants and secured hundreds of years in prison sentences, cumulatively, for the slate of defendants.”

“Today’s sentencing is the final chapter of Bernard Green’s reign of terror in Trenton,” Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. said. “Operation Capital City is a prime example of the success that can be achieved through the collaborative efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement.”

Voorhees was killed as the result of violence between the Gangster Killer Bloods, the Nine Trey Gangsters, the Sex Money Murder and the Crips.

Under Green’s direction, the Gangster Killer Bloods engaged in drug trafficking and violence involving assault rifles and semi-automatic handguns, which were used to defend the gang’s turf and settle scores with other gangs, Hoffman said.

The defendants conspired to intimidate victims and witnesses, and make threats against members of law enforcement.

Additionally, three defendants in the case were sentenced to prison in May for the murder of Nine Trey Gangsters member Kareem Washington, 28. He was fatally shot in the neck on Ellsworth Avenue on the same date Voorhees was killed, Hoffman said. He was killed in retaliation for a previous attack on Gangster Killers members.

Anthony “Ace” Coleman, 28, plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter for being the triggerman in Washington’s death. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, 17 without parole.

Curtis “Rabbit” Hawkins, 26, and Juan “Cherokee” Robinson, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder for their roles in Washington’s death. Hawkins was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with nearly 13 years of parole ineligibility, and Robinson was sentenced to 12 years in prison, 10 without parole.

Finally, defendant Richard Lamar Jenkins, 28, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Otis Jones, 26, on Brunswick Avenue and Sanford Street in Trenton on June 20, 2005.

Jones was shot for showing disrespect to Gangster Killer members while attempting to recover a gold necklace that was stolen from him, Hoffman said. Jenkins admitted he murdered Jones because Green told him to.

He admitted to shooting Jones in the head while Jones was loading his car to go fishing, Hoffman said. He faces a recommended sentence of 15 years in prison, including nearly 13 years of parole ineligibility.

Hoffman commended the dedicated efforts of all of the attorneys and investigators who have worked on the case, including:

For the Division of Criminal Justice and its Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, Deputy Attorney General Daniel I. Bornstein, Detective Cortney Lawrence, who was lead detective, Detective Scott Caponi, Detective Edward Augustyn III, Detective Adam Mish, former Detective Donald Macciocca, Detective Timothy Savage, Detective Richard Aitken, Detective William Gonzalez, former Sgt. Keith Stopko, Lt. Richard J. Nocella, Chief of Detectives Paul Morris, Deputy Chief of Detectives Allan Buecker, retired Assistant Attorney General Mark Eliades, who was formerly chief of the Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau and Deputy Director of the Division of Criminal Justice, Deputy Attorney General Christopher Romanyshyn, who is currently chief of the Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, and former Supervising Deputy Attorney General Andrew Butchko.  Supervising Deputy Attorney General Paul H. Heinzel, Assistant Attorney General Carol M. Henderson, and Deputy Attorneys General Marie McGovern, Randy Miller and Steven Bennet also provided valuable assistance.

For the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office: Assistant Prosecutor Lewis Korngut, who is Chief of the Mercer County Homicide Unit, Lead Detective Brian Kiely, Chief William Straniero, Lt. Richard Frascella, Lt. Michael Novembre, Sgt. James Francis, Sgt. Tom Watters and retired Detective Frank Clayton. Assistant Prosecutors Kathleen Petrucci and Skylar Weissman also provided valuable assistance.

For the Trenton Police Department: Lt. Chris Doyle, Detective Frank Guido, Detective Gary Britton, retired Detective Albert DiNatale Jr., Detective J.E. McMillan Jr., Detective Wilfredo Rodriguez, Detective Nathan Bolognini, the Trenton Police Crime Scene Unit, Former Police Director Irving Bradley, and the many other members of the Trenton Police Department who made valuable contributions to the investigation.

For the New Jersey State Police: the Electronic Surveillance Unit; from the Organized Crime Control Central Bureau, Bureau Chief Lt. Rick Nuel, Lt. Jay Sullivan, Sgt. Jim Burnham, and Trooper Chris Sharpe; and from the Ballistics Unit, Trooper James Storey, Trooper Randy Toth, Lt. Robert Cowden, and Detective Sgt. First Class James Ryan.

For the New Jersey Department of Corrections: Senior Investigator Samuel E. Wise.

For the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration: Special Agent Steve Ortman.

Hoffman also credited the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office and members of the U.S. DEA VEST initiative for their valuable assistance, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the FBI, the U.S. Probation Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the U.S. Marshals Service, the New Jersey State Parole Board, the Ewing Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the New Jersey Probation Services Division.