Four men arrested for allegedly carjacking a young New Jersey couple outside an upscale mall and killing the 30-year-old husband in front of his wife were targeting their Range Rover, prosecutors said Saturday.
Prosecutors said the suspects, ranging in age from 29 to 33, were taken into custody Friday and overnight into Saturday. Three were found in Newark and one had fled to eastern Pennsylvania, where he was found in a hotel, they said.
Dustin Friedland was shot in the head Sunday night in front of his wife as the couple was getting into their Range Rover at The Mall at Short Hills after a day of shopping. His wife was not injured.
"It was the car, not the person, that appears to be the target of this crime," said Carolyn Murray, acting Essex County prosecutor.
Officials identified the suspects as Hanif Thompson, Karif Ford, Basim Henry and Kevin Roberts.
Prosecutors said they arrived at the mall in a suburban, and then after the carjacking two of them left in that car and the other two left in the Range Rover. It was found in Newark the next day.
Murray said a combination of witness statements, technology and forensics led them to the suspects, but did not elaborate.
"It was not one type of evidence but a number of things," she said.
The gun used to kill Friedland has not been recovered.
Bail for each of the suspects is set at $2 million, and all four are charged with murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiracy, possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.
It was not clear if the suspects had attorneys.
