By: Richard L. Smith
An Essex County jury has found an Orange man guilty in connection with the 2018 of his former girlfriend in Montclair, according to an announcement from Theodore N. Stephens II.
The defendant, Ahigjah Broomes, 29, was convicted of first-degree murder, along with weapons-related charges, including possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Simonetti and Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Laprade before Superior Court Judge Marysol Rosero.
The verdict was delivered on Monday, March 23, 2026, following a six-day trial.
Prosecutors successfully argued that in the early morning hours of April 27, 2018, Broomes tracked down 20-year-old Akirah Townes, also of Orange, months after their relationship had ended.
Authorities said Townes, a student at Kean University, was with friends on Bloomfield Avenue preparing to leave for a trip to Virginia Beach when Broomes approached her with a knife.
During the confrontation, Townes was stabbed multiple times as she attempted to flee, while friends tried to intervene.
Broomes then fled the scene. Townes was rushed to St. Joseph’s Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Following the verdict, prosecutors acknowledged the long wait for justice endured by the victim’s family, noting that the decision brings accountability in a case rooted in domestic violence.
Broomes is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29, 2026, and faces a potential sentence ranging from 30 years to life in state prison.