On a Monday afternoon in April 2020, 31-year-old Shawn Watford was fatally shot in East Orange, New Jersey. The incident occurred around 1:22 p.m. in the vicinity of North Arlington Avenue and Williams Street. After being shot, Watford was transported to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead at 1:49 p.m.
The investigation into the death of Shawn Watford, a male, led to the identification and arrest of three suspects.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office announced that Anthony Hagans, then 31, and Clarence Johnson, then 34, were charged with murder, conspiracy, and weapons offenses. A third individual, Shaquan Adams, then 29, was also implicated in the crime. Initially, Johnson remained at large, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, while Hagan was taken into custody.
The subsequent legal proceedings revealed a chilling account of a premeditated attack. On the day of the shooting, the three men had staked out Watford's apartment. They waited for him to leave, and as he walked to visit his mother, they carried out their plan. Hagans followed Watford in a vehicle and shot him multiple times. Shortly after Watford fell to the ground, a second vehicle, driven by Adams, pulled up. Johnson exited this vehicle, stood over Watford, and fired a single shot to his head.
In a resolution to the case, all three men pleaded guilty to their roles in the killing. Anthony Hagans and Clarence Johnson pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun. Shaquan Adams pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. Hagans and Johnson were each sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Adams received a 10-year sentence. The convictions marked the fourth felony for both Hagans and Johnson, and the second for Adams.
