In the fall of 2015, the life of 19-year-old Darnell Smith Jr. was tragically cut short on the streets of Newark, New Jersey. On October 24, 2015, Smith was shot in the 200 block of 6th Street. He was rushed to University Hospital, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead. His death marked the city's 81st homicide of the year.
In the weeks following the shooting, authorities began their investigation, seeking to bring justice for Smith and his family.
In early December of that year, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office announced that they had identified a suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest. The man they were searching for was 24-year-old Darryl A. Craft, also a resident of Newark. Craft faced serious charges, including murder and weapons offenses, with his bail being set at $1 million.
The search for Craft continued into the following year. In June 2016, a significant development occurred in the case when an Essex County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Darryl Craft, who was then 25 and residing in Irvington. The indictment formally charged him with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the fatal shooting of Darnell Smith. At the time of the indictment, Craft was being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility on a bail of $1.2 million.
