On a tragic day in June of 1993, Newark Police Detective John Sczyrek, a 30-year-old male, was fatally shot in a brazen attack within the supposed safety of the Essex County Courthouse. He was there to testify as the key witness in a narcotics case against two cousins. As he waited in a hallway on the 11th floor, a man approached him and opened fire with a. 357 Magnum handgun, striking the detective in the head.
The shooter was identified as Eddie Lee Oliver Philson, the 25-year-old cousin of the two men Sczyrek was scheduled to testify against.
The brazen assault sent shockwaves through the courthouse. As Philson attempted to make his escape, he encountered and shot Sheriff's Officer Ralph Rizzolo, who was responding to the sound of the initial gunfire. Despite being critically wounded, Officer Rizzolo would ultimately survive. Philson continued his flight, discarding the murder weapon in some bushes outside the courthouse before being apprehended a short distance away by law enforcement.
The subsequent investigation revealed a premeditated plot to assassinate the detective. Philson had reportedly boasted to relatives in North Carolina just a day earlier of his intent to travel to New Jersey to kill Detective Sczyrek and the judge presiding over his cousins' case, believing they could not receive a fair trial. The plot was facilitated by a critical breach of courthouse security. A 22-year-old court employee and girlfriend of one of the defendants, Tenesha James, used her employee access to bypass the recently installed metal detectors and smuggle the handgun into the courthouse, delivering it to Philson.
Both Eddie Lee Oliver Philson and Tenesha James were arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. Following their trials, both were convicted for their roles in the death of Detective Sczyrek. Philson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, while James received a 20-year sentence for her part in the deadly conspiracy. The violent and calculated nature of the crime left a lasting impact on the law enforcement community and highlighted vulnerabilities in the security of the justice system.
