ELIZABETH, N.J. — A Salvadoran immigrant’s wad of payday cash proved irresistible for a group of teenagers charged in his videotaped beating death, as well as for the nurse who eventually managed to pocket it when the victim arrived at the hospital, authorities said.
The confrontation was not an instance of bias, Union County prosecutor Theodore Romankow said Friday, but “a crime of opportunity.”
A group of 14 teenage girls and boys were hanging out in the upscale New York City suburb of Summit around 9 p.m. July 17 when they spotted 47-year-old Abelino Mazariego sitting on a bench in a small park, authorities said.
Mazariego was carrying a wad of about $640 in cash, authorities said; he had just been paid from his job as a dishwasher.
Khayri Williams-Clark, 18, and an unidentified 17-year-old, both of Summit, and 19-year-old Nigel Dumas, of Morristown, face felony murder charges, and prosecutors are seeking to try the minor as an adult.
Two other youths, ages 15 and 17, were arrested Thursday and face aggravated assault and robbery-related charges over allegations they stood guard as the attack took place.
Nurse Stephan Randolph, 39, who is accused of taking $640 from the unconscious victim after his attackers fled without taking the money, was charged with third-degree theft.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 07/31/2010