In the early evening of October 16, 2017, the life of 27-year-old William Roberts, a Black/African American male, was cut short on the streets of his community in Bound Brook, New Jersey. At approximately 6:23 p.m., the sound of gunfire shattered the quiet near the intersection of Church Street and East Second Street, just a block from a local middle school. When police responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls, they discovered Roberts suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. He was a resident of Church Street, and the fatal attack occurred just outside his home.
Emergency medical services rushed Roberts to a nearby trauma center, where he underwent emergency surgery. Despite the efforts of the medical team, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. An autopsy later revealed that a single bullet had struck his abdominal aorta, causing him to bleed to death internally.
Investigators from the Bound Brook Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence. They believed Roberts was the intended target of an isolated incident. The investigation was initially hampered by a lack of cooperation from potential eyewitnesses, prompting authorities to publicly request that anyone with information come forward.
The investigation led police to identify Michael Washington, a 27-year-old man from Paterson, New Jersey, as the primary suspect. On October 31, 2017, detectives located Washington in the basement of a home on Cherry Street in Bound Brook. He was taken into custody without incident. Following his arrest, Washington was charged with first-degree murder and two second-degree firearms offenses. After an 11-day trial, during which the jury deliberated for about 10 hours over two days, Michael Washington was found guilty of the lesser offense of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, as well as second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun. He faced a potential sentence of up to 40 years in state prison for these convictions, with additional pending charges that could significantly extend his time behind bars.
