Five Rutgers students, including three former football players, were named in three indictments Wednesday handed up by a Middlesex County grand jury in connection with several home invasions in New Brunswick and Piscataway earlier this year.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Five people, including three former Rutgers University football players, were indicted Wednesday by a Middlesex County grand jury in connection with three home invasions in New Brunswick and Piscataway earlier this year.
A fourth indictment charged six men, all former football players, with an assault on Delafield Street in New Brunswick in April that left a Rutgers student with a broken jaw. One former player, Tejay Johnson, was charged in all four indictments, though the robberies and the assault are separate cases.
The grand jury action represents formal charges in a case that helped lead to the ouster of the state university's football coach and its athletics director. With the indictments, the cases will head to preparations for trial, barring last-minute plea agreements.
http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2015/12/criminal_investigation_into_rutgers_football.html
The indictments laid out in exacting detail the alleged robbery spree in the spring that hit two New Brunswick homes where students lived and a dorm room in Piscataway. Over the course of 30 charges, the grand jury alleged that the defendants used weapons, violence and intimidation to steal cash and marijuana from their fellow Rutgers University students. The crimes, a prosecutor said, sent a "degree of fear and terror into the student body of Rutgers University."
For defense attorneys, however, the presence of drugs in the case -- in two of the three robberies, the defendants are charged with theft of marijuana -- will feature prominently as they try to avoid decades in jail on first-degree charges.
"We'll want to find out if the alleged victims -- who were also drug dealers -- did they come and testify at this grand jury?" said Richard Lomurro, attorney for Johnson. "Or did it only consist of police officers and other evidence? We don't know any of that right now."
Johnson, Andre Boggs, Jianan Chen, Dylan Mastriana and Kaylanna Ricks were named in one indictment that charged them with conspiracy, armed robbery and weapons offenses in a home invasion on May 4 in Piscataway. Johnson and Boggs allegedly tried to force their way into a Piscataway dorm room armed with a bat and knife. Two people were in the dorm room at the time, and blocked the suspects from entering, police have said.
Chen and Mastriana were accused of helping plan the robbery, and Ricks was accused of driving the getaway car.
Johnson, Boggs and Lloyd Terry are charged in a separate indictment with armed robbery, armed burglary, conspiracy, theft and weapons offenses, for a home invasion in New Brunswick on April 26. The grand jury said they were armed with a baseball bat and a handgun. Five people were home at the time, prosecutors have said.
In yet another incident just a day later, Johnson, Boggs and Mastriana are charged with conspiracy, armed robbery, armed burglary, theft, and weapons offenses, stemming from a home invasion on April 27 in New Brunswick.
Jim Donohue, Boggs' attorney, said that the only thing implicating his client is the testimony of co-defendants and drug dealers.
"In fact, it's my understanding that in two of the three alleged robberies, the victims never even reported them to the police," Donohue said. "I look forward to my client being exonerated on all charges."
http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2015/11/kyle_flood_fired_as_rutgers_football_coach.html
In the unrelated assault, Johnson, Nadir Barnwell, Ruhann Peele, Rahzonn Gross, Delon Stephenson and Daryl Stephenson are charged in an indictment with conspiracy, aggravated assault and riot. Prosecutors allege that the fight broke out over a parking space on Delafield Street the night of April 25 that ended with the victim in the hospital for a broken jaw.
Three of those defendants -- Barnwell, Gross and Daryl Stephenson -- have said they would apply for a probationary program called pre-trial intervention. If they're accepted into the program, they'll have clean records if they stay out of trouble for a few years.
"Daryl maintains his innocence with respect to these charges. We look forward to our day in court," Daryl Stephenson's attorney, William Fetky, said.
Gross' attorney, Peter Hendricks, said that his application is now before the probation department, before it heads to the prosecutor's office. The indictment shouldn't change that process, he said.
"I'm assuming he'll be a good candidate for PTI," Hendricks said, using the abbreviation for the probation program. "The process moves forward towards the diversion program."
NJ Advance Media reporter Brian Amaral contributed to this report.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.