BELLEVILLE MAN CONVICTED FOR THE 2014 STABBING DEATH OF HIS WHEELCHAIR-BOUND ROOMMATE
"During A Re-Trial Edwin Andujar Was Once Again Convicted Of Murder & Weapons Offenses In The 2014 Fatal Stabbing Of 59-Year-Old Thomas Parent."
Saturday, January 27, 2024, 7:00 A.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
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NEWARK, NJ.- On Thursday, following a Re-Trial in Essex County Superior Court, a Jury has once again found Edwin Andujar Guilty of Murder and Weapons Offenses for The August 7, 2014, Brutal Stabbing Death of his Wheel-Chair Bound Roommate, Thomas Parent inside their Belleville, New Jersey Apartment.
According to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, on August 7, 2014, Members of The Belleville Police Department responded to 26 Wallace Street, 2nd Floor Apartment in Belleville on a Report of a Stabbing.
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a man, later identified as Thomas Parent, 59, of Belleville, New Jersey, Sitting in a Wheelchair, suffering from Multiple Stab Wounds. Mr. Parent was immediately transported to an area hospital where on August 12, 2013, Mr. Parent succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Following a Trial in 2017, Mr. Andujar was Convicted of Murder and Related Weapons Offenses, and Andujar was Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in New Jersey State Prison. The Conviction was overturned and a new Trial was Ordered.
On Thursday, January 25, 2024, Following a Multi-Week Re-Trial before Essex County Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin, The Jury again Convicted Andujar of First Degree Murder; Third Degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and Fourth Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
As in the First Trial, a Witness testified that Andujar was seen Standing over Mr. Parent with a Bloody Steak Knife in his Hand. The Witness then called The Police, and upon arrival, Andujar told the Officer "I stabbed him, I couldn't take it anymore."
"This defendant brutally stabbed Thomas Parent approximately a dozen times in the stomach and twice in the back as he sat defenseless in his wheelchair. It was an unthinkable, cowardly, intentional act. The defendant's claim of self-defense didn't stand up against the facts, the evidence, and even his own statements made at the time of the murder. We and the family of the victim are very grateful that the jury came to the same conclusion," said Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller.
Assistant Prosecutor Monica Calderon, who tried the case with Miller, said, "We would like to thank the jury for their hard work and their just verdict. This was not a case of self-defense, but a deliberate attack on a vulnerable victim. We hope this verdict brings Thomas Parent's family some degree of closure."
Sentencing in the matter has been Scheduled for April 5, 2024, in Essex County Superior Court at which time Andujar will Face a Term of Life in New Jersey State Prison.
FILED UNDER: JANUARY 27, 2024: LAW, ESSEX: