NEWARK, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced April 8 that Jeremy Arrington, 32, of Newark, was sentenced to 375 years in New Jersey State Prison for murdering three people and attempting to murder three more after becoming enraged over a Facebook comment.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler, who presided over Arrington’s 10-day jury trial, gave Arrington three consecutive life sentences for fatally stabbing two young siblings, 7-year-old Ariel Little Whitehurst and her 11-year-old brother, Al-Jahon Whitehurst, as well as shooting to death, Syasia McBurroughs, a 23-year-old friend of the family who was just visiting, on Nov. 5, 2016.
On March 4, Arrington was convicted of 28 counts, including three counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, burglary, criminal restraint, unlawful possession of a handgun, unlawful possession of a knife, and possession of a handgun and a knife for an unlawful purpose.
In addition to the three consecutive life sentences for murder, Wigler imposed consecutive 50-year sentences for each of the three attempted murder convictions for the surviving victims.
Under the No Early Release Act, Arrington would have to serve a total of 281 years of his 375-year sentence before being eligible for parole. Under New Jersey law, a life sentence is 75 years. A defendant sentenced to life must serve 63 years and nine months before he is eligible for parole.
On Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, Arrington, carrying a loaded firearm, unlawfully entered the Whitehurst home located in the 100 block of Hedden Terrace in Newark. The evidence at trial revealed Arrington then tied up the individuals located inside the apartment and proceeded to torture them by stabbing them with kitchen knives. The stabbings resulted in the death of the two children. The defendant then shot and killed McBurroughs, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The children were pronounced dead at University Hospital. Three other stabbing victims were saved by emergency medical personnel. One of the survivors of the stabbing, a 29-year-old female, is the mother of the two murdered children. The other two surviving stab victims, a 13-year-old male and his twin 13-year-old sister, were siblings of the 29-year-old female. Police were able to respond because a young girl with autism, who is unrelated to the family and was just visiting, escaped and called for help from her phone in a closet.
Arrington fled the scene before the police were able to apprehend him. Arrington was captured the next day, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, after he barricaded himself in a residence in the 200 block of Pomona Avenue.
Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Chelsea Coleman, argued for six consecutive life sentences given the number of people who were tortured and killed and Arrington’s lengthy prior criminal record. From 2006 to 2016, the year of the triple homicide, Arrington was arrested 10 times. He had four felony convictions and had three different pending charges when he entered the Whitehurst home that day in November 2016.
Following the sentencing, Edwab said, “Justice has been served. This defendant is pure evil and clearly deserves all 375 years in New Jersey State Prison for the terrible crimes he committed on Nov. 5, 2016. These families have waited over five years for this moment, and we are all so grateful for this sentence. Thank you to all those who helped bring this defendant to justice and thank you to the jury for holding this defendant accountable.”
“While nothing can bring back the lives of Ariel, Al-Jahon and Syasia, we hope today’s sentence will provide some sense of closure to their families,” Coleman said.
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