The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Photo: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office
A 19-year-old township resident who suffered stab wounds in an Oct. 13 altercation with a New Brunswick teenager has been charged in the youth’s murder.
Dequan S. Rogers of Alcorne Street was charged Oct. 14 with 1st Degree Murder, 2nd Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and 2nd Degree Unlawful Possession of a Handgun. Bail was set by the Superior Court Judge Yolanda Ciccone at $500,000, cash only.
Rogers is accused of shooting 17-year-old Joell Burton in the chest after the two had an altercation between Fuller Street and Route 27, according to a release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to police, Rogers received a stab wound to his upper torso and a laceration to one arm during the altercation. Police said Rogers, who was armed with a small caliber semi-automatic handgun, fired one round at Burton, hitting him in the chest.
Rogers then fled the scene, police said, and headed toward Victor Street where he was found by police responding to a 9-1-1 call.
Burton was found earlier by police, also responding to a 9-1-1 call, in the parking lot of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Route 27.
Rogers was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and was listed in stable condition, according to the release.
Police said an autopsy will be performed on Burton in the near future at the New Jersey Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark.
Police said the two men knew each other, and the incident and was not a random act.
New Brunswick police also assisted in the investigation, according to the release.
The incident is still under investigation, according to the release. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-2300, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.888577tips.org or www.scpo.net and click on either “Crime Stoppers” or “TIPS HOTLINE”. All Crime Stopper tips are anonymous will be kept confidential.
