| TRENTON - Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Trenton man was sentenced to prison today in connection with shootings that occurred in 2005 when violence erupted between members of his faction of the Bloods street gang and rival gangs, including rival Bloods sets and the Crips.
Leroy Tutt, 26, of Trenton, a member of the Gangster Killer Bloods, was sentenced to seven years in state prison, including nearly six years of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act, by Superior Court Judge Robert C. Billmeier in Trenton. He pleaded guilty on Jan. 18 to second-degree charges of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Deputy Attorney General Daniel I. Bornstein prosecuted the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau and represented the state at the sentencing. Tutt was charged in a July 14, 2010 state grand jury indictment stemming 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.
Tutt was indicted with other gang members 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, leaving three people dead, including 22-year-old Sharee Voorhees, who was caught in crossfire while out on her porch. In addition, there was violence against the rival Crips gang. Also indicted was 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.
In pleading guilty to aggravated assault, Tutt admitted that on the evening of July 23, 2005, he fired a .45-caliber handgun at Paul “P-Funk” Jiles, a high-ranking member of the Crips, in a drive-by shooting on North Logan Avenue. Tutt missed Jiles, but hit a bystander, Rochelle Solomon, who was wounded in the right upper part of her chest. She recovered fully.
In pleading guilty to the gun charge, Tutt admitted that on Aug. 27, 2005, he had a .30-30 rifle in his possession and fired it at the home of the mother of a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters. Tutt admitted he fired one shot at the home before the gun jammed.
Fourteen alleged Gangster Killer Bloods members, including Green, were charged in the indictment with first-degree racketeering. Green was charged 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 the first-degree crime of 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. #### |
