Newark Man Sentenced Sentenced To Prison

21 YEAR OLD NEWARK MAN WHO IS IN THE U.S. ILLEGALLY SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR A 2021 FATAL SHOOTING

     " Yohan Hernandez Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Aggravated Manslaughter For The Senseless Fatal Shooting Of A Maplewood High School Junior."

November 17, 2022, 9:42 A.M. ET By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

NEWARK, NJ.- On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced yesterday that Essex County Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler Sentenced Yohan Hernandez to 15 Years in New Jersey State Prison for the Senseless Double Shooting that claimed the life of Moussa Fofana, who at the time of his death was 18-Years-Old and was enrolled as a Junior at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. The Shooting also left a 17-Year-Old Boy injured with a Gunshot Wound to his Leg.

     During a Plea Hearing that was held on September 22, 2022, Mr. Hernandez Plead Guilty to One Count of Aggravated Manslaughter; One Count of Aggravated Assault; and One Count of The Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in connection with the Shooting. Hernandez's sentence was subject to The No Early Release Act, which will require Mr. Hernandez to serve Eighty-Five Percent of the 15-Years before becoming eligible for parole. According to Judge Wigler, Mr. Hernandez will face Deportation upon the completion of his sentence, because he is not a U.S. Citizen.

     After Fofana's parents addressed The Court in a desperate plea for Judge Wigler to reject the plea agreement, Judge Wigler told them that "this was a terrible tragedy."

     " Please don't think this 15-year sentence represents the value of Moussa's life," Wigler further added. " There's not a sentence or a number of years in jail I can give him, "Hernandez," that will make your lives whole again. And I am sorry. But I'm satisfied that under all circumstances, this plea is fair and appropriate."

     On June 16, 2021, Members of The Maplewood Township Police Department responded to an athletic field near The Underhill Sports Complex. Upon arrival, Police Officers found Mr. Fofana, suffering from a life threatening gunshot wound and a 17-year-old boy who had sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. Both victims were immediately transported to a nearby hospital where Mr. Fofana succumbed to his injury and was subsequently pronounced deceased later that day.

     An investigation by Members of The Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide & Major Crimes Task Force in conjunction with Detectives of The Maplewood Township Police Department, The Essex County Sheriff's Department with assistance from The FBI and The U.S. Attorney's Office was quickly able to identify Mr. Hernandez as the Shooter and the individual responsible for the death of Mr. Fofana. Hernandez was taken into Custody on August 6, 2021.

     " The Essex County Prosecutor's Office shares in the grief experienced by the Fofana family and the entire Township of Maplewood," said Acting Prosecutor Stephens. " The interests of justice have been served, however, because this killer will not walk the streets in Essex County, and perhaps not in this nation, for years to come."

FILED UNDER NOVEMBER 17, 2022: LAW, ESSEX: