In the early morning hours of June 4, 2019, the life of 27-year-old Alfonso James, a Black male, was tragically cut short in a fatal shooting in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. at the Mravlag Manor housing complex on the 600 block of Maple Avenue, where James resided. Elizabeth police officers responded to reports of a shooting and discovered James suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead approximately half an hour later.
The investigation into the homicide was a collaborative effort involving the Union County Homicide Task Force, the Elizabeth Police Department, the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, and the Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit. Their swift and intensive investigation, aided by surveillance footage from the scene, quickly led to the identification of a suspect. In a significant development, an arrest was made on the very same day as the shooting.
The suspect was identified as Ronald Santiago, Jr., then 22 years old, also a resident of Elizabeth. Santiago was subsequently charged with murder, robbery, and weapons offenses in connection with James's death. Investigators uncovered crucial evidence, including blood-stained items containing James's DNA in an apartment where Santiago had been staying. Ultimately, Santiago confessed to the shooting.
In August 2019, a Union County Grand Jury indicted Santiago for the murder of Alfonso James. He later pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in October 2021. In December 2021, Ronald Santiago, Jr. was sentenced to 25 years in state prison for the killing. Under the terms of his sentence, he is required to serve at least eighty-five percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
