Jeremy Arrington NJ man sentenced to 375 years for killing 2 Newark kids, woman over Facebook comment alerting that he was wanted for a sex crime by police.
A New Jersey man was sentenced to 375 years jail for the 2016 murders of two children and a college student and the stabbings of three others at a Newark residence.
Judge Ronald Wigler sentenced Jeremy Arrington, 32, to three consecutive life sentences for fatally stabbing Ariel Little Whitehurst, 7, and her brother, Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, and fatally shooting college student Syasia McBurroughs, 23, a friend of the family who happened to be visiting their home on November 5, 2016, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office stated on Friday.
Arrington, who had known the victims for years, attacked the family after becoming enraged about a Facebook comment, prosecutors said. One of the stabbing victims had reposted an alert on Facebook about Arrington being wanted by police who were looking for him in relation to a sex crime, NJ.com reported.
An enraged Arrington broke into the Whitehurst’s apartment in Newark with a loaded firearm later that afternoon and tied up seven people inside, torturing them with kitchen knives, prosecutors argued.
He tied up everyone inside and ‘proceeded to torture them by stabbing them with kitchen knives,’ the prosecutor’s office said in the release.
Three other victims survived after young girl escaping to notify authorities
The two children died of their stab wounds. They were pronounced dead at University Hospital.
Arrington then shot and killed McBurroughs, who was pronounced dead at the scene, prosecutors said.
A young girl was able to escape and call for police from her phone and helped save the remaining victims. The 29-year-old mother of the dead children and two 13-year-olds, a girl and a boy, who survived the attack, NJ.com reported.
Arrington was arrested after he fled and barricaded himself inside a nearby home, telling police he was holding someone hostage, which turned out to be false, according to prosecutors.
On March 4, Arrington was convicted of 28 counts, including three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, burglary, criminal restraint, unlawful possession of a handgun, unlawful possession of a knife and possession of a handgun and a knife for an unlawful purpose.
No less than twenty-five witnesses took the stand during the ten day trial NBCNY reported.
During sentencing, Arrington apologized to family members of his victims, saying he ‘was sorry and hope and pray that the situation never happens to you again or no one else.’
‘Pure evil…’
In addition to the three consecutive life sentences — 75 years each for murder — Judge Wigler imposed consecutive 50-year sentences for each of the three attempted murder convictions for the surviving victims.
In the decade prior to the triple murder, Arrington had 10 arrests and four felony convictions.
‘Justice has been served,’ said Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab. ‘This defendant is pure evil and clearly deserves all 375 years in New Jersey State Prison for the terrible crimes he committed on Nov. 5, 2016.
‘These families have waited over 5 years for this moment, and we are all so grateful for this sentence. Thank you to all those who helped bring this defendant to justice and thank you to the jury for holding this defendant accountable.’
Arrington will be eligible for parole after serving 281 years.
