Newark man sentenced to 60 years for killing his stepfather

🔴 Newark man will spend 60 years in prison for murdering his stepfather

🔴 Prosecutors say he ambushed the man outside their home as his sister looked on.

🔴 There is no chance for early release

NEWARK — A Newark man will be an old man if and when he gets out of prison after being sentenced to decades behind bars for the murder of his stepfather two years ago.

On Tuesday, Tyrone Cradle, 29, was sentenced to 60 years in New Jersey State Prison for killing his stepfather, Rassool Crews, 48.

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Surveillance video shows ambush outside Newark home

On May 19, 2023, Cradle ambushed Crews, shooting him multiple times as Crews and his daughter were exiting a vehicle outside of their Newark home, prosecutors said.

Surveillance video showed Cradle emerging from the side of the house moments before the shooting, then running away after the crime.

Cradle was identified and charged four days later, after the fatal shooting.

Jury convicts Cradle after two-year investigation

On Aug. 26, 2025, Cradle was convicted of first-degree murder and various weapons offenses in connection with Crews’ death.

It’s not clear why Cradle committed the crime.

“The court’s imposition of a 60-year prison term is an acknowledgment of the cold and calculated manner in which this murder was committed,” Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Nicholas said.

No parole until age 80 under New Jersey sentencing laws

According to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, Cradle must serve 85 percent of the 60-year sentence before he is eligible for parole, which would put him at 80 years old.