Final Newark Schoolyard Killing Defendant Convicted
A jury in Newark has convicted the final defendant in a notorious schoolyard triple murder from 2007.
The Star-Ledger of Newark reports jurors in state Superior Court convicted Gerardo Gomez on 13 of 17 counts including murder and attempted murder.
Three college-bound friends were slain, and a fourth was shot but survived.
Gomez turned 15 on Aug. 4, 2007, the day of the murders, but was tried as an adult. His attorney had argued that he was a bystander at the Mount Vernon School playground.
Prosecutors contended that Gomez never tried to leave the scene and acted as a lookout while the victims were robbed.
Five other defendants have been convicted or pleaded guilty.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)