By: Richard L. Smith
A jury has convicted two Newark residents for their roles in a deadly vigilante-style shooting that claimed the life of a teenager and injured another man during a chaotic series of events in August 2023.
According to a statement released by Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, 51-year-old Felicia Bynum and 33-year-old James Headen were found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and multiple weapons offenses.
The verdict followed a trial before Superior Court Judge Arthur Batista.
Prosecutors Justin Edwab and Alaric Azeez successfully argued that Bynum and Headen pursued a stolen white 2022 Lexus SUV through Newark’s South Ward after allegedly witnessing its occupants commit a string of robberies.
On August 17, 2023, the pair opened fire on the SUV, which had already been involved in a crash and a shootout.
The gunfire killed 17-year-old Kiman Mays of Newark, a passenger in the vehicle, and injured the driver, 29-year-old Lonnell Carruthers of Irvington.
Surveillance footage was used to help track the suspects and piece together the events leading up to the shooting.
“Vigilante justice is not justice. No one has the right to unlawfully take someone’s life,” said Assistant Prosecutor Edwab. “We are grateful the Homicide Task Force was able to quickly solve this case and help bring these defendants to justice.”
Assistant Prosecutor Azeez praised the jury for carefully weighing the evidence in what he described as a complex case.
“This was a very attentive jury that listened to all the facts… We are thankful that, after careful deliberation, the jury found the defendants guilty of their actions,” he said.
Bynum and Headen are scheduled to be sentenced on September 15, 2025, and face a potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
Meanwhile, Carruthers and another occupant of the Lexus, 21-year-old Yusuf Julious of Bound Brook, are facing multiple charges stemming from the crime spree that night.
Charges include first-degree robbery, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and weapons offenses.