Newark man sentenced to life for killing Irvington Mini-Mart owner

IRVINGTON, NJ — Ivery Brinson, 30, of Newark, was sentenced to life in New Jersey state prison on Monday, Aug. 28, for killing mini-mart owner Narendrak Patel, 52, of Parsippany.

In June of this year, an Essex County jury convicted Brinson of aggravated manslaughter, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, felony murder, conspiracy to commit carjacking, carjacking, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose following a trial before Superior Court Judge John Zunic.

On Monday, Aug. 28, Zunic sentenced Brinson to life in prison for felony murder and 30 additional years for the carjacking. Brinson must serve 85 percent of both sentences before he is eligible for parole. He was also sentenced to 20 years with a 10-year period of parole ineligible, which will run concurrent to the other sentences, for unlawful possession of a weapon.

Brinson has a prior conviction for reckless manslaughter from 2009.

Assistant Prosecutor Purva Deshpande, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Scibetta, said, “Today ends the long nightmare for the Patel family. Mr. Patel was a hardworking man who was trying to make a difference in Irvington.”

On June 19, 2013, the defendant, his two brothers and a cousin entered the Irvington Mini-Market, 130 Myrtle Ave., Irvington. The defendant pointed a handgun at the victim and announced a robbery, saying, “You know what it is.”

Patel pulled out a wooden stick. Before he could do anything with the stick, the defendant fired three times and struck the victim one time in the torso. The four males then robbed the cash register and left the store. As they ran off, they saw a 74-year-old man parking in the driveway. The defendant pointed the gun at that man and carjacked him. The four men entered the car and drove it to the Bradley Court Housing Complex in Newark, where they abandoned the vehicle.

The three co-defendants have all pled and are expected to be sentenced on Tuesday, Sept. 26. The co-defendants are Shakil Brinson, 25, Deion Brinson, 21, and Carnell Colbert, 26, all of Newark.