Two East Orange men have been indicted by an Essex County Grand Jury for the September 2010 murder of a Seton Hall sophomore, according to officials.
According to a press release on South Orange Patch, Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's office, said that Marcus Bascus, 20, and Nicholas Welch, 26, were charged with "felony murder, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, burglary, four counts of attempted murder and two weapons offenses."
Welch was also charged with "hindering prosecution by destroying or tampering with evidence."
According to Carter in the release, the men were indicted as co-defendants.
It has been nearly a year since Welch entered an off-campus house party in East Orange and opened fire on the congregation after being turned away at the door. He injured four people and fatally wounded sophomore Jessica Moore, who died the following afternoon, according to Carter in the release.
Welch was later captured a block from the shooting on Sept. 27, while Bascus' capture followed on Sept. 29 in Pennsylvania.
"This was truly a tragic case of random, senseless violence aimed at students who had simply gathered to have a good time," Romesh C. Sukhdeo, Essex County assistant prosecutor, said in the release.
According to the release, Sukhdeo is prosecuting the case.
The duo will be arraigned in New Jersey Superior Court by Judge Peter Vazquez on Oct. 4, according to the release.
Bascus and Welch will remain in Essex County jail "in lieu of $2 million bail each," Carter said in the release.
Samantha Desmond can be reached at samantha.desmond@student.shu.edu
