On a crisp autumn evening in Newark, New Jersey, a young woman's life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence. Twenty-two-year-old Ana Satian, a mother of two, was visiting a friend on 3rd Street on November 8, 2014, when she was accosted by at least two individuals. The assailants stole her cellphone and then shot her, leaving her critically wounded. She was rushed to University Hospital but succumbed to her injuries the following day.
The investigation into the brutal slaying of the young mother moved swiftly. In the months that followed, authorities identified and apprehended four individuals in connection with the crime. By January of the following year, three suspects were in custody: Mumit Marrow, 21, of Newark; Massai Laboo, 22, of Irvington; and Lauren Whatley, 25, also of Irvington.
A fourth suspect, 30-year-old Perry Howard of Bloomfield, remained at large for a time but was eventually captured.
In May 2015, an Essex County grand jury handed down an indictment, charging all four with murder, felony murder, robbery, and weapons offenses. During their arraignment in June, Marrow and Howard pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $750,000 each for Marrow and Whatley, $1 million for Howard, and $300,000 for Laboo as they awaited trial, leaving a community to grapple with the violent loss of a young life over a cellphone.
