Jonas Larose, a 55-year-old male immigrant from Haiti, was a hardworking taxi driver in Orange, New Jersey, known for his dedication to his family, his church, and his community. His life was tragically cut short on the night of November 30, 2016, in what began as a robbery and quickly escalated to a senseless act of violence. Larose, a father of four who had moved to the United States in 1992, was also a talented maestro and songwriter, but it was his work behind the wheel of his cab that placed him in harm's way.
That evening, around 11:00 PM, Larose responded to a fare on the 200 block of Snyder Street in Orange. The individuals who had summoned his taxi were Sheedley Pierre, then 23, and a 14-year-old male accomplice. Their intention was robbery. Upon entering the cab, they brandished a gun and attempted to rob Larose. In the ensuing moments, the plan took a violent turn.
Witnesses in the area reported hearing popping sounds before seeing the two suspects flee the scene on foot. When police arrived, they discovered Larose in his crashed vehicle, having sustained two gunshot wounds to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. In a cruel twist, the perpetrators fled without taking any money.
The investigation led by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and the Orange Police Department quickly identified Pierre and the juvenile as the primary suspects. The younger of the two was arrested a few days after the murder and was charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, and weapons offenses. Sheedley Pierre was also apprehended and faced a similar slate of charges, with the added offense of using a juvenile in the commission of a crime. The evidence against them included witness testimony and, in Pierre's case, DNA from a bloody jacket that linked him to the victim.
In May 2019, an Essex County jury found Sheedley Pierre guilty on all counts. He was subsequently sentenced to 47 years in state prison and will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The juvenile, whose identity has been withheld due to his age, was sentenced to 10 years in a juvenile detention facility. The resolution of the case brought a measure of justice to the family of Jonas Larose, a man described by prosecutors as a hardworking individual who was simply trying to make an honest living when his life was violently taken. His death was a profound loss to the community he had embraced as his own.
