Crime & Safety
Phillipsburg Man Convicted in Slaying of Former Teaneck Quarterback
Bound Brook shooting was sparked by gang feud, authorities have said.
A 37-year-old Phillipsburg man has been convicted in the gang-related shooting death of a former Teaneck High School football standout in Bound Brook, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.
A Somerset County jury found James K. Ford guilty, after deliberating for three and a half days last week, of murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the March 19, 2011 killing of 24-year-old Damian Williams, a prosecutor's office spokesman said. Ford was acquitted on conspiracy to commit murder and aggregated assault charges.
During the three-week trial, Ford's defense lawyer claimed his client was in fear of his own life and his family members had been threatened, MyCentralJersey.com reported. Prosecutors described in grim detail how Williams was shot multiple times and died between piles of dirt along the NJ Transit Raritan Valley train line.
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Another victim, 18-year-old Kendell Harrell of South Bound Brook, was also found wounded by gunfire in the shooting, authorities have said. Harrell reportedly reached into his pants during an argument, but Ford didn't initially fire on the teen, instead first gunning for Williams, according to the report.
Authorities have described the shooting as gang-related violence that stemmed from a dispute within the Bloods street gang. Williams was known to many as a promising athlete, but he was also charged in a 2009 sweep of reputed Bloods associates around Teaneck and alleged to be an influential member of the gang. Williams was selected as a second team all-league quarterback in his senior year at Teaneck High School.
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Ford's half-brother, Elijah Ford, of Freemansburg, Pa, was also charged in connection with the killing and is awaiting trial, the spokesman said. Both men are reputed members of the Bloods.
James K. Ford could face 30 years in prison at sentencing later this year.
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