A prosecutor says evidence points to a suspect in the murder of a cab driver, but a defense attorney says a co-defendant lied in the case.
NEWARK -- An Essex County assistant prosecutor Tuesday said a trail of evidence linked a man to the 2012 murder of a cab driver, but a defense attorney countered that his client was made the scapegoat of a co-defendant who lied to get a plea deal.
Alchane Mayes, now 22, of Newark, is on trial for the 2012 killing of cabbie Rochenel Guerrier, 49, of Irvington, a veteran taxi driver and father of five, who was shot during a robbery.
"The evidence was there. It was not made up. It was there to put together to show that Alchane Mayes was the killer," Assistant Prosecutor Margarita Rivera told the jury in her closing argument.
She said that early on June 7, 2012, a taxi was dispatched to Mayes' home on Clinton Avenue in Newark where it picked up Mayes and another man, Deshon Johnson. At about 3:30 a.m., the two men were driven to Mount Prospect and Delavan Avenue where they got out and tried to rob Guerrier, and both men shot the driver, Rivera said.
Both were teenagers when the shooting occurred.
Mayes' lawyer, Kevin Barry, argued that prosecutors had built their case around statements from Johnson, who has already pleaded guilty and who testified against Mayes during he trial.
Barry claimed Johnson, 23, of Newark, lied to get his plea-deal, in which the state will recommend he receive a 28-year prison term. Barry argued that Johnson was facing a possible life sentence, and said Johnson could be released after serving 23 years.
"This man is willing to do anything, say anything to keep himself out of the line of fire. He'll scratch and claw to get what he wants," Barry said.
Johnson pleaded guilty last April to a charge of aggravated manslaughter.
Barry, in his closing argument, said Johnson could have received a life sentence plus 120 years if he had been convicted of all he charges against him.
Perry said Johnson, who testified against Mayes during the trial, repeatedly changed his story when he was questioned by police.
Mayes is charged with robbery, murder, felony murder and weapons offenses.
Johnson and Mayes were also charged in two other robberies, one occurring the previous afternoon, on June 6, and the second shortly before the two called for the taxi cab.
Authorities said after shooting Guerrier, Mayes and Johnson rushed to the home of Johnson's cousin Victor Parker, who lived on Mount Prospect Avenue near the scene of the shooting.
Rivera, in her summation, said all of the victims from the earlier robberies identified Johnson and Mayes as the attackers. Rivera said Guerrier suffered wounds to his head and side, and was shot with bullets from two different guns.
Rivera said Mayes also made an oral statement while in police custody, blurting out that he shot the driver.
Jury deliberations in the case before Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin are expected to begin Wednesday.
Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.