Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that Terrell
Haywood, 28, of Irvington was sentenced to life in prison by the Honorable Alfonse Cifelli, Judge of the Superior Court, for the murder of 23-year-old Kharey Reynolds of Newark.
Under New Jersey law he must serve 85 percent of the life sentence, which is the equivalent to 75 years in state prison before he is eligible for parole. Haywood has three prior adult convictions for drug offenses in 2008 and 2011.
On March 18, 2014, around 12:30 in the afternoon, Reynolds was fatally shot while standing on
Isabella Avenue in Newark talking to friends, according to Assistant Prosecutor Jacqueline Bilinkas, who tried the case.
A masked man, later identified as Haywood, accompanied by a second man, who was never identified, approached the group and started shooting at Reynolds. Together they discharged approximately 40 rounds. Reynolds, who was shot nine times, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at University Hospital about 30 minutes later. Another victim, a 41-year-old man, was also shot three times but survived.
In December 2017 an Essex County jury convicted Haywood of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
“Given this defendant’s prior criminal history and the brutal nature of this murder, we believe a life sentence was appropriate,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Bilinkas.