A jury has convicted Jeremy Arrington, 31, for the stabbing deaths of two children and a college student, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s office.
Aerial Little Whitehurst, 8, and Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11, were stabbed to death in November 2016, in their home in the 100 block of Hedden Terrace in Newark, authorities said. A third victim, Syasia McBurroughs, 23, of Cedar Knolls, was shot to death.
Jeremy Arrington, Essex County Prosecutor’s office
Jeremy Arrington convicted
Following a ten-day jury trial before the Honorable Ronald D. Wigler, J.S.C., Arrington was convicted of 28 counts, including the 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 firearm and a knife for an illegal purpose.
Incident
Prosecutors said on the afternoon of Saturday Nov. 5, 2016 Arrington unlawfully entered the Whitehurst home located in the 100 block of Hedden Terrace in Newark while armed with a loaded firearm.
Arrington then tied up the individuals inside the apartment and proceeded to torture them by stabbing them with kitchen knives.
The stabbings resulted in the death of the two children.
The defendant then shot and killed the adult female. The children were pronounced dead at University Hospital and McBurroughs was pronounced dead at the scene
Emergency personnel who arrived on the scene were able to save three of the stabbing victims.
According to prosecutors, the police were able to respond before more lives were lost as a result of a young girl with autism who escaped and called for help from her phone in a closet.
Arrington fleed the scene but was located a day later. He was discovered barricaded in a residence in the 200 block of Pomona Avenue and stated he had a hostage.
Authorities determined the hostage situation was false and was able to arrest Arrington without incident.
Authorities said the attack stemmed from a Facebook comment.
Jeremy Arrington’s sentencing
Sentencing is scheduled for April 8 before the Judge Wigler. Arrington faces multiple life sentences.
