By: Richard L. Smith
NJ State Police officials said Mr. Dandre L. McDaniels Jr., 23, from Trenton, has been formally charged with murder and a series of other offenses stemming from his alleged involvement in the death of a woman within a New Jersey Turnpike Service Area employee parking lot located in Hamilton Township.
State Police officials said events unfolded on the morning of Thursday, August 17, around 3:10 a.m., when troopers from the Troop “D” Moorestown Station responded to a report concerning an injured female found lying on the ground within the Woodrow Wilson Service Area employee parking lot.
The victim was identified as 22-year-old Jamyra C. Odom, also from Trenton. Unfortunately, she had suffered severe injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Following an extensive investigative process, detectives from the Major Crime South Unit and Troop “D” Criminal Investigation Office were able to piece together a sequence of events.
This effort led to identifying a white sport utility vehicle (SUV) as a possible suspect vehicle in connection to the incident.
Subsequently, a vehicle matching the description of the white SUV was located parked outside the Capital Health Systems Fuld Campus in Trenton.
Within the hospital's emergency room, Dandre L. McDaniels Jr. was found by State Police detectives and Trenton Police, undergoing treatment for lacerations to his hands.
The investigation suggests that McDaniels Jr. arrived at the Woodrow Wilson Service Area employee parking lot driving the white SUV. Allegedly, he approached Odom after she exited her work shift at the service area's Burger King.
Tragically, the altercation escalated, and McDaniels Jr. is said to have stabbed Odom multiple times before fleeing the scene, purportedly striking her with the vehicle during his escape.
It has been determined that McDaniels Jr. and Odom were acquainted before the incident.
The charges against Dandre L. McDaniels Jr. include murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for illegal purposes. He has been detained at the Mercer County Correctional Center.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office will manage legal proceedings for this case.