Man Gets 40 Years in Mother-Son Deaths

An East Orange man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for hitting and killing a mother and son on Myrtle Avenue in Newark while speeding in a stolen car, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office announced.

The victims, 38-year-old Joselin Lizardo and her 10-year-old son, Aneudy Breton, were in a Toyota Corolla on their way to buy milk on Nov. 25, 2008 when James Perry, 24, slammed into their vehicle. Perry was driving a stolen Acura and was fleeing from police when the accident occurred, striking the car with such force that Aneudy’s body was thrown a distance of one block, Judge Joseph Portelli said.

Perry, who must serve at least 30 years of the sentence, had been convicted of two counts of aggravated manslaughter following an 18-day trial.    

At the time of the crash, Perry was traveling with Eugene Reaves, 27, and Chad Pamplin, 22, both of East Orange, who pleaded guilty to lesser charges. 

Assistant Prosecutor Ralph Amirata, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Erica Liu, asked for a 70-year sentence, the maximum, noting two innocent people had died because of Perry’s reckless behavior. Amirata also argued that Perry, who was 21 at the time, had seven prior arrests that resulted in three felony convictions for drug offenses and theft.

The judge sentenced Perry to 16 years for each aggravated manslaughter conviction and eight years for failure to render aid to an injured victim.

“This is such a heartbreaking case because a vibrant young woman and her son were killed because of the senseless and reckless acts of Perry. Hopefully, this case will send a clear message to anyone who would consider getting behind the wheel of a stolen car,’’ said Amirata. “This was not an accident. It was a reckless act by this defendant who was traveling at a crazy speed trying to escape the police.’’