The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
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 relier 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.
Update 2: A 17-year-old New Brunswick man was killed and a 19-year-old township man was stabbed in what police say might be related incidents Oct. 13.
Joel Burton of New Brunswick was found by township police lying in the parking lot of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Route 27, with a gunshot wound to his chest, according to a release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police had responded to the scene at about 9:12 p.m. after a 9-1-1 call, according to the release.
Police and emergency services personnel administered life saving measures on Burton, who was then transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was pronounced dead, the release said.
A second 9-1-1 call was made at about 9:17, reporting a stabbing victim near Victor Street, the release said.
Police responded and found the unidentified 19-year-old township man suffering from stab/lacerations to his upper torso and arm. He was treated at the scene and transported to an unnamed local hospital for emergency treatment.
Police have not yet released a motive for the attacks, but say they may be related, according to the release.
Crime Stoppers of Somerset County, Inc. is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrests of the individual(s) involved in the homicide or the assault. To receive the Crime Stopper’s Reward and remain anonymous, tipsters are instructed to call 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 will be kept confidential.
Update 1: In a message emailed to parishioners, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Garden’s Joy Gardner wrote that Burton was “reportedly being chased” through the church’s parking lot after an altercation “spilled over” onto the church’s property.
Parishioners “may see additional police patrols in the area as you attend meetings and rehearsals” as a result of the killing, Gardner wrote.
The church’s security director “will continue to stay in constant contact with” township police, Gardner wrote.
Original Story: Published reports say a 17-year-old teenager was shot and killed the night of Oct. 13 in the parking lot of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens on Route 27.
Joel Burton, 17, was walking home from a store with some friends when he was shot in the back, according to a report broadcast by News 12 NJ.
Authorities have not yet released details of the shooting.
