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For Immediate Release:
For Further Information:
March 8, 2013

Office of The Attorney General
- Jeffrey S. Chiesa, Attorney General
Division of Criminal Justice
- Elie Honig, Director
Media Inquiries-
Peter Aseltine
609-292-4791


Citizen Inquiries-

609-984-5828
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Trenton Bloods Member Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Drive-By Shooting Targeting Crips in 2005
Second gang member pleads guilty to conspiring in murder of member of rival Bloods set
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TRENTON - Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a member of the Gangster Killer Bloods pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit a drive-by shooting against the Crips in Trenton in 2005 when violence erupted between members of his faction of the Bloods and rival gangs. A second member of the Gangster Killer Bloods pleaded guilty today to conspiring in the murder of a member of a rival Bloods set during the same period of intense violence in Trenton.

Among those killed in the inter-gang violence during the summer of 2005 was an innocent bystander, Sharee Voorhees, 22. 

“We have now secured guilty pleas from 15 out of 16 of the gang members indicted in Operation Capital City, and they face lengthy prison terms for their involvement in the wave of gang violence that swept Trenton in 2005,” said Attorney General Chiesa. “We are moving forward with our prosecution of the final defendant, Bernard Green, the reputed leader of the Gangster Killer Bloods, who allegedly ordered the violence against rival gangs that resulted in multiple deaths that summer.”

“These guilty pleas are a testament to the outstanding work of all of the individuals involved in this multi-agency investigation,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Rather than prosecuting these crimes as isolated acts of violence, we built a comprehensive case that targeted the leader and the most violent members of this gang that was terrorizing Trenton.”

The charges stem from Operation Capital City, an investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Trenton Police Department and New Jersey State Police.

Bruce "Black Magic" Duette, 32, of Trenton, pleaded guilty today to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder before Superior Court Judge Robert C. Billmeier in Trenton.  Duette conspired with other members of the Gangster Killer Bloods to commit a drive-by shooting on July 27, 2005 against a large number of unknown members of the Crips who were gathered in the first block of North Logan Avenue in Trenton. Duette was in the process of getting a Thompson .45-caliber machine gun so he could carry out the shooting, when other members of the Gangster Killer Bloods opened fire on the Crips. There was no evidence that anyone was hit.  Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Duette be sentenced to 20 years in state prison, including 17 years without parole under the No Early Release Act. The judge scheduled his sentencing for May 3.

Also today, Curtis “Rabbit” Hawkins, 25, of Trenton pleaded guilty to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder before Judge Billmeier. He conspired with other gang members in the murder of Kareem Washington, who was fatally shot in the neck in a retaliation shooting because he was a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters.  The state will recommend that Hawkins be sentenced to 15 years in prison, including nearly 13 years of parole ineligibility. The judge scheduled sentencing for Hawkins for May 3.

On Feb. 15, another man, Anthony Coleman, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter for being the triggerman in the killing of Kareem Washington. He faces a recommended sentence of 20 years in prison, including 17 years of parole ineligibility. A third man, Juan “Cherokee” Robinson, 25, pleaded guilty on Feb. 4 to conspiring to murder Washington.  He faces a recommended sentence of 12 years in prison, including 10 years of parole ineligibility.

Washington, 28, a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, was fatally shot in the neck on Ellsworth Avenue on Aug. 28, 2005. Coleman shot him in retaliation for shootings the day before on Passaic Street which wounded three Gangster Killer Bloods members.  Washington was killed the same day as Voorhees.

Deputy Attorney General Daniel I. Bornstein prosecuted the defendants for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau and took the guilty pleas.

Duette and Hawkins were among 15 gang members indicted on July 14, 2010 in connection with crimes that occurred in 2005, when violence erupted between the Gangster Killer Bloods and two rival Bloods sets, the Nine Trey Gangsters and Sex Money Murder, as well as the Crips. Three people were killed, including Voorhees, who was caught in gunfire while on her porch. A sixteenth defendant, Robinson, was subsequently added to the indictment.

The indictment also charged Bernard Green, 30, a.k.a. Petey Black, a “five-star general” in the Gangster Killer Bloods or G-Shine set, who allegedly directed the gang’s activities, including drug trafficking and gun violence against other gangs.

Green is the only defendant charged in the indictment who has not pleaded guilty. The indictment charges Green with three counts of first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree attempted murder, and five counts of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder.  Green was also charged with first-degree offenses of racketeering and being a leader of organized crime, as well as drug offenses and conspiring to unlawfully possess, use and traffic in guns. The charges against Green are pending, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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