The Trenton Times published the following article on March 4, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Two Trenton gang members plead guilty to their roles in two fatal shootings
By Jenna Pizzi/The Times of Trenton
on March 04, 2013 at 6:41 PMTRENTON — Two members of the Gangster Killer Bloods street gang pleaded guilty today to their roles in two fatal shooting incidents from the summer of 2005, a particularly violent period of gang warfare for the city of Trenton.
Keith “Droop” Parker, 31, of Trenton, pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder for a shooting on Aug. 28, 2005 where he and other gang members opened fire on an SUV on Monmouth Street in the city. The gangsters opened fire on the SUV thinking that it was occupied by a high ranking member of the Nine Trey Gang, who were rivals of the Gangster killer Bloods, but it was the wrong car, according to the office of the Attorney General.
One bullet hit Michael Cadlett, the driver of the vehicle, in the stomach, but he survived. Another bullet struck and killed 22-year-old Sharee Voorhees, an innocent bystander who was on her porch, prosecutors said.
Also today, Juan “Cherokee” Robinson, 25, of Trenton, admitted to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder in Superior Court in Mercer County for a different shooting that occurred on the same day that Cadlett and Voorhees were shot.
Robinson admitted to conspiring with other gang members in the murder of Kareem Washington, a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, who was shot in the neck on Ellsworth Avenue.
Both Robinson and Parker entered into plea agreements with the Office of the Attorney General.
Under those deals, the state will recommend to the judge that Parker be sentenced to 15 years in state prison and Robinson sentenced to 12 years. Both men will have to serve 85 percent of their sentences before they are eligible for parole.
The gang’s “five-star general” Bernard “Petey Black” Green also appeared in court today. The state offered him a plea deal under which he would have to admit guilt to the murder of Voorhees and a racketeering charge. Under that agreement the prosecutors would suggest that the judge impose a 30-year sentence for the murder and another 10-year sentence for the racketeering.
Green’s attorney said he and his client have not yet made a decision to accept or reject the offer.
Green, Robinson and Parker are among 15 gang members named in a 65-count indictment handed up in 2010. The indictment charges Green with three counts of first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree attempted murder and five counts of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, in addition to a number of other crimes.
All but three of the gang members, including Green, have accepted plea agreements with the state.
Contact Jenna Pizzi at jpizzi@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5717.