On a Christmas night that should have been filled with warmth and celebration, tragedy struck a Newark, New Jersey street, forever altering the lives of three families. Kasson Mormon, a 15-year-old male, was visiting a friend on Schley Street on December 25, 2013, when gunfire erupted. A freshman at Central High School, known for his love of singing in the choir, Kasson was caught in the deadly barrage of bullets. He was not the only victim of the senseless violence that evening.
Alongside him, 13-year-old Zainee Hailey was also fatally shot as she was simply taking out the trash.
The shooting, which occurred around 10 p.m. outside a three-family home, also left a third teenager, 14-year-old Abdul Frazier, critically wounded. Kasson was at the residence to visit Frazier, who lived on the first floor. In the weeks that followed the horrific event, Frazier succumbed to his injuries, raising the death toll to three and turning a double homicide into a triple murder investigation. The incident marked the city's 100th homicide of the year, a grim milestone that underscored a wave of violence troubling the community.
In the wake of the devastating loss, the community mourned and called for an end to the violence that had claimed the lives of three of its young members. Investigators began to piece together the events of that Christmas night. Their efforts led to the arrest of a 15-year-old suspect. Authorities suggested the motive for the shooting may have stemmed from the suspect feeling 'disrespected' because one of the victims had reportedly 'hit on' his girlfriend.
The unnamed juvenile suspect was taken into custody and subsequently charged with the murders of Kasson Mormon, Zainee Hailey, and Abdul Frazier. In a subsequent court proceeding, the 15-year-old pleaded guilty to the fatal shootings. Under the terms of a plea agreement, he faced the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence for his role in the tragic events that unfolded on that Christmas night.
