On a cold February evening in 2021, the life of 18-year-old Romel Bottex was tragically cut short on a street in Newark, New Jersey. The young man, a male resident of the city, was in front of a home in the 700 block of South 20th Street when he was shot multiple times. The fatal incident occurred on February 22, 2021, leaving a family and community to mourn the loss of a life filled with promise.
Known affectionately as 'Mello,' he had moved to the United States from the Turks and Caicos Islands at the age of seven in pursuit of a better life with his family. He was remembered for his love of basketball and his caring nature towards his loved ones.
The investigation into the homicide was handled by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force, which included detectives from the Newark Police Department. Their determined efforts to seek justice for Romel Bottex led to significant developments in the case. Within days of the shooting, authorities announced that they had identified and charged three individuals in connection with the murder. The relentless work of the detectives was praised as they worked to bring the individuals responsible to justice.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of one adult and two juveniles. Jaqway McCall, who was 18 years old at the time and also from Newark, was taken into custody without incident at a residence on South 18th Street. Alongside him, two 17-year-old suspects were also charged in the fatal shooting. The three faced a litany of serious charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Jaqway McCall was subsequently lodged in the Essex County Correctional Facility, while the two juvenile suspects were held at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Facility. The arrests brought a measure of solace to a grieving family, though the senseless act of gun violence had irrevocably shattered their lives.
