On the evening of January 8, 2015, a tragedy unfolded inside the Royal Chicken restaurant on Springfield Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, forever altering the lives of those present. Tykwan Crenshaw, a 20-year-old male, was inside the eatery when a violent robbery shattered the ordinary evening. Shortly before 5 p.m., a man entered the establishment and, in the course of the armed robbery, opened fire. Crenshaw was struck by multiple gunshots.
He was rushed to University Hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead less than thirty minutes after the shooting.
The investigation into the senseless killing was a collaborative effort between the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force. Their work led to the identification and subsequent arrest of two suspects. The man identified as the shooter was Durrell Hearn, 26, also a resident of Newark. His accomplice, who acted as a lookout during the fatal robbery, was identified as 30-year-old Leon Trent, also from Newark. The investigation revealed that Hearn had not only shot Crenshaw but had also robbed two other individuals inside the restaurant.
The legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to the family of Tykwan Crenshaw. Leon Trent, the lookout, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and robbery. He testified against his co-defendant during the trial. In December 2017, an Essex County jury convicted Durrell Hearn on all eight counts he faced, including murder, felony murder, three counts of robbery, conspiracy, and weapons charges. Hearn, who had prior criminal convictions, faced a sentence of life in prison for his role in the murder of Tykwan Crenshaw.
