In the summer of 2019, a young man’s life was tragically cut short on a street in Jersey City. On the evening of July 23rd, police responded to reports of gunfire in the area of Wilkinson Avenue. Upon their arrival, they discovered 21-year-old Markell Albright, a male resident of the city, lying unresponsive on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.
Emergency medical services rushed him to the Jersey City Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office would later confirm that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the upper torso and ruled the manner of death a homicide. This incident marked the second homicide in Jersey City within a four-day span, shaking the community.
The investigation into Albright's death was handled by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit, with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department. In the weeks that followed, their efforts led to the identification of several suspects. In September of that year, authorities announced the arrests of three men in connection with the fatal shooting. Tyshawn Kitchens, then 19, of Irvington, Corey Walker, 22, of Westwood, and Rashad Terry, 30, of Jersey City, were all charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Kitchens faced additional charges for weapons possession. The arrests brought a sense of progress to the case, with Walker being apprehended with the help of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Gang Task Force and Terry being arrested at the Hudson County Correctional Facility where he was being held on unrelated charges.
By December, a fourth suspect, 26-year-old Sidney McCord of Jersey City, was also arrested after surrendering to the Homicide Unit. He faced charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. As the legal process unfolded, the initial charges against some of the defendants were amended. In February 2022, three of the men were sentenced for their roles in Albright's death. Tyshawn Kitchens, who pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, received a 14-year prison sentence. Rashad Terry, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, was sentenced to 10 years. Corey Walker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and received a five-year sentence. The fourth man, Sidney McCord, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and was scheduled for sentencing at a later date.
