In the winter of 2012, a young man's life was tragically cut short on the streets of Irvington, New Jersey. Sixteen-year-old Khalil Williams was walking home with three of his friends on the evening of February 17th. As they made their way near the intersection of Orange Avenue and Orange Place, they were suddenly confronted by armed individuals.
The assailants had been driving around the area with loaded handguns, looking for people to rob.
Upon spotting the four teenagers, they circled the block before stopping to carry out their plan. Two men, Azim Brogsdale and another unidentified individual, emerged from a vehicle and robbed the four young men at gunpoint. As Khalil Williams and his friends attempted to run away from the scene, Brogsdale opened fire on the fleeing group. A single gunshot struck Khalil in the back, inflicting a fatal wound.
The investigation into the senseless killing led to the arrests of several suspects. Marquise Hawkins, 20, of Newark, was identified as the individual who remained in the car and ordered his accomplices to shoot. In March 2015, a jury convicted Hawkins of murder, felony murder, robbery, and conspiracy. He was subsequently sentenced to 55 years in state prison.
Azim Brogsdale, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was convicted by a jury in January 2017 for the murder of Khalil Williams. His convictions included murder, four counts of robbery, felony murder, and multiple weapons offenses. He faced a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. A third man, Haroon Perry, 25, of Irvington, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and was expected to receive a 20-year sentence as part of a plea agreement. A fourth co-conspirator was believed to have been involved but was never identified or charged.
