Last Suspect In Murder of Union County Supermarket Worker Cornered In Georgia

The last of five suspects in the armed robbery and murder of a Union County Supermarket employee was apprehended by U.S. Marshalls in Atlanta, GA. this week.

Shaquille John, 19, who fled the state following the fatal shooting of Richard Smith, 57, of Elizabeth, was apprehended Tuesday in Atlanta by members of the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Wednesday.

All five suspects have been charged with first-degree felony murder and first-degree robbery.

Shortly before 9 p.m. on Oct. 19, three masked men entered the MF Supermarket on the 400 block of Jackson Avenue in Elizabeth in an apparent robbery attempt, according to the investigation.

Following a brief struggle, the owner of the store was shot and injured while Smith, who was at work repainting the interior of the store at the time, was fatally shot, Park stated.

The Union County Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department identified the five defendants as suspects in the case after a lengthy investigation. All suspects except Shaquille John were arrested during the span of a week in December 2014.

Bail was set at $2 million for Watson and $1 million apiece for the other four defendants.

If convicted, the five defendants could face a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.

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