In the early morning hours of December 20, 2018, John Bertram, a 38-year-old male, was working the night shift at the Speedway gas station on Amboy Avenue in Edison, New Jersey. Friends and family described Bertram, a resident of the Fords section of Woodbridge, as a 'gentle giant' who was always helpful and true to his word. He had taken the job at the convenience store about eight months prior to help pay property taxes on the home he had inherited from his late father.
Tragically, his life was cut short when a man wearing a mask and a maroon-colored hooded sweatshirt entered the store just after 4 a.m. and held him at gunpoint. Bertram complied with the robber's demands, handing over the cash register drawer. Despite his cooperation, the assailant fired a single, fatal shot before fleeing the scene. Another employee who was in the store at the time was unharmed.
Bertram was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the senseless murder led authorities to South Carolina, where, just over two weeks later, they arrested Marcus A. Wright, then 27, and his accomplice, Olya Quinnam. Detectives tracked them to their home state after identifying them as the primary suspects. Quinnam, who waited in the car while Wright committed the robbery and murder, later pleaded guilty to first-degree armed robbery. She agreed to testify against Wright as part of a plea deal that could reduce her 15-year sentence.
In September 2023, following a week-long trial, a Middlesex County jury found Marcus Wright guilty of murder, armed robbery, and several other related charges. During the trial, it was revealed that while incarcerated in South Carolina awaiting extradition, Wright was involved in a fight that resulted in the death of his cellmate. In March 2024, Wright was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of John Bertram.
