On a Monday afternoon in Newark, New Jersey, the life of Jerry Wayne Works, Jr. was tragically cut short. On September 14, 2020, the 50-year-old man was shot at 36 Brenner Street in the city's Central Ward around 1:24 p.m. He was rushed to University Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead less than an hour later, at 2:18 p.m.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, in conjunction with the Newark Police Department, immediately launched an investigation into the fatal shooting.
For more than two and a half years, the case of Jerry Wayne Works, Jr.'s death remained without a public resolution. Investigators continued to seek information from the public, but no arrests were made, leaving a void in the pursuit of justice for the slain Newark resident. The community was left to wonder who was responsible for the violence that had claimed a life in their neighborhood.
A significant breakthrough in the investigation came in March of 2023. Authorities announced that two men from Newark had been taken into custody and charged in connection with the 2020 homicide. Ibn Hill, then 22 years old, faced charges of murder and weapons offenses. A second suspect, 27-year-old Tyquan Zigler, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The arrests brought a new chapter to the long-standing investigation, offering the possibility of closure for those affected by the untimely death of Jerry Wayne Works, Jr.
