Morristown Man Sentenced In Fatal Train Station Attack: Prosecutor

MORRISTOWN, NJ - A Morris County man was sentenced to 18 years in state prison on Thursday after fatally hitting a friend with a brick and stealing hundreds of dollars from him last year, authorities said.

Lamar Harris, 34, of Morristown, previously pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter and theft by unlawful taking, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, New Jersey Transit Police Chief Christopher Trucillo and Morristown Police Chief Darnell Richardson said in a statement.

Harris’ sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act, which makes Harris ineligible for parole until he has served 85 percent of the sentence on the Aggravated Manslaughter charge. A concurrent sentence of five years in state prison on the theft was also imposed, as well as an order for Harris to pay $800 restitution.

The charges stem from a March 29, 2021 incident in which Morristown police received a report of a deceased male on a stairway at the Morristown train station around 12:30 a.m.

The man, identified as Matthew Palla, 60, a friend of Harris, had sustained head injuries and a brick was located next to the body, authorities said. An autopsy later confirmed that the manner of death was homicide.

An investigation also revealed that Matthew Palla had around $800 prior to the homicide.

Carroll thanked the agencies that participated in the investigation that led to the sentencing, namely the Morristown Police Department, the New Jersey Transit Police, the Morris County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit.