Man found guilty of stabbing roomate who was in a wheelchair

A former Belleville resident is facing life in prison when he is sentenced in April for fatally stabbing his wheelchair using roommate.

An Essex County jury convicted Edwin Andujar, 59, of murder for fatally stabbing Thomas Parent, 59, of Belleville, in the apartment the men shared, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.

“This defendant brutally stabbed Thomas Parent approximately a dozen times in the stomach and twice in the back as he sat defenseless in his wheelchair. It was an unthinkable, cowardly, intentional act. The defendant’s claim of self-defense didn’t stand up against the facts, the evidence, and even his own statements made at the time of the murder. We and the family of the victim are very grateful that the jury came to the same conclusion,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller.

On Aug. 7, 2014, Belleville police responded to a second floor apartment at 26 Wallace St., and found Thomas Parent in a wheelchair suffering from multiple stab wounds to his abdomen and back, and a laceration to his arm consistent with a defensive wound.

Prior to police arrival, the suspect was observed by a witness standing over Parent holding a bloody knife.

That witness then called 911.

Andujar told the responding officer, “I stabbed him, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Andujar was then placed under arrest.

During the arrest, the officer observed a bloody serrated steak knife under the victim’s wheelchair.

On Thursday, Jan. 25, following a multi-week trial before Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin, the jury found Andujar guilty of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Assistant Prosecutor Monica Calderon, who tried the case with Miller, thanked the jury for their hard work and just verdict.

“This was not a case of self-defense, but a deliberate attack on a vulnerable victim,” Calderon said. “We hope this verdict brings Thomas Parent’s family some degree of closure.”

Andujar faces life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2024.

Andujar had previously been convicted in this case in June of 2017 but an appellate court threw out the conviction because during that trial a prospective juror was arrested.

The arrest came after prosecutors ran a background check and found that there was a warrant out for the individual.

  Belleville