In the late hours of a Thursday evening in Newark, New Jersey, the life of 57-year-old Romulo Luzuriaga was brought to a tragic and violent end. On May 11, 2023, at approximately 10:25 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting in the 200 block of Grafton Avenue. Upon their arrival, they discovered Luzuriaga inside a car, suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was rushed to University Hospital, but his injury proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m.
The investigation into the death of the Newark man quickly mobilized the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force. Their efforts soon identified a vehicle of interest connected to the incident. The following day, Newark police officers spotted the car, leading to a pursuit. The driver, later identified as 24-year-old Deontee Jones of Irvington, fled from the vehicle but was apprehended by the determined officers.
The investigation further implicated a second individual, 33-year-old Earl Betterson, also from Irvington. Both Jones and Betterson were subsequently arrested and faced a host of serious charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, felony murder, and two counts of robbery, in addition to weapons offenses. Jones also faced charges for eluding the police. Authorities also linked the two men to other robberies that had occurred in the city of Newark.
