Fred C. Sims, a 29-year-old male, was shot and killed on the evening of February 7, 2019, in Newark, New Jersey. The fatal incident occurred in the 900 block of Frelinghuysen Avenue in the city's South Ward. Responders transported Sims to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:55 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 shooting.
The
investigation led to the identification of Darryl Watson, also a resident of Newark, as the primary suspect. Surveillance footage from the area played a crucial role in the case, capturing the events of that evening. The video showed Watson, who was involved in dealing cocaine and heroin near the Kretchmer Elderly public housing complex, stashing a firearm and drugs in the wheel well of a minivan. Later, he retrieved the gun, approached Sims, and shot him in the head. Watson then stood over Sims' body and fired ten more times before fleeing the scene.
Following his arrest, Darryl Watson faced a number of charges, including murder and various firearm and drug offenses. After a six-day trial in December 2022, an Essex County jury found Watson guilty on all counts. He was subsequently sentenced to 70 years in state prison. Under the terms of his sentence, Watson must serve 85% of his term before becoming eligible for parole. While awaiting his murder trial, Watson was also involved in an attempted murder of a fellow inmate at the Essex County jail, for which he received additional prison time.
