NJ Man Guilty of Murder Even Though He Was in a Car a Block Away

BLOOMFIELD — A man who was a block away at the time of a gas station worker was killed was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder.

Lamar Sommers, 36, of Bloomfield, drove two men to Irvington and dropped them off a block from a gas station on May 11, 2022. The two men walked to the gas station and shot Jahque Benbow, 23, of Newark five times while Sommers waited in the car.

Arrested in North Carolina

Sommers left New Jersey shortly after the shooting and was arrested in North Carolina in June 2022.

The jury also convicted Sommers of conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

“When you plan and participate in a murder, you are responsible for the consequences even if you don’t pull the trigger,” Assistant Prosecutor F. Garnes, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Jenna Ventola, said in a written statement after the verdict.

Sommers will be sentenced in December. He faces a minimum of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison, according to Stephens.

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Gallery Credit: Mike Brant