A Jersey City man was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for a fatal shooting back on September 4th, 2018 after a four-week trial.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
On Friday, Hudson County Superior Court Judge Angelo Servidio sentenced James Crawford, 24, of Jersey City, to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison for his role in the shooting death of Eric Crocker, 23, on September 4th, 2018.
He was convicted by a jury of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Crawford will not be eligible for parole for 30 years.
Following a four-week trial, the jury was hung on the conspiracy to commit murder charge against Crawford and could not reach a unanimous decision on the murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges brought against codefendant Alexander Harris, 33, of Jersey City.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office intends to have Harris retried on the charges. A third codefendant, Jahmir Thomas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.
On Tuesday, September 4th, 2018, at approximately 5:55 p.m., the Jersey City Police Department received a report of gunshots in the area of Lembeck Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Jersey City.
Upon arrival, responding officers found a victim, later identified as Eric Crocker, 23, of Bayonne, with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.
He was pronounced dead at Jersey City Medical Center at approximately 6:30 p.m. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and the manner of death to be homicide.
The State is represented in this matter by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutors David Feldman and Dennis Murray.
