Two brothers sentenced for East Orange robbery

EAST ORANGE, NJ — Brothers Fuquan Knight, 28, and Shaquan Knight, 20, both of East Orange, have been sentenced after being convicted of first-degree robbery and second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, according to a Feb. 20 press release from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare sentenced Shaquan Knight to 11 years. His brother, Fuquan Knight, who was also convicted of third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, was sentenced to 16 years.

Both must serve 85 percent of their sentences before they are eligible for parole, according to Assistant Prosecutor Sean D. Dickson, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Brian Olsen.

“These sentences are appropriate given the fact that these defendants brazenly and recklessly robbed a man at gunpoint and knifepoint in broad daylight after he left a local deli,” Dickson said.

The robbery occurred on Oct. 11, 2018. At approximately 11:45 a.m., East Orange officers were dispatched to the area of Central Avenue and Halsted Street on report of a robbery. The male robbery victim said he has been robbed by three individuals behind 520 Central Ave.

The victim had been in line at a deli when he observed the first suspect. After finishing at the store, the victim left and walked around the corner to Halsted Street when he felt someone grab him from behind and force him into a corner in the rear of the building. He then observed two more suspects — one with a knife and the other with a shotgun or rifle. They took $560 in cash, a debit card, a Social Security card and an ID card. Afterward, the three suspects fled.

The victim was immediately able to identify Fuquan Knight and Shaquan Knight. A few days later, he identified the third suspect, Kyler Knight, the defendants’ father.

“Thanks to the hard work of the East Orange Police Department, the defendants were quickly apprehended,” Olsen said.

Shaquan Knight has one prior conviction. Fuquan Knight has three prior convictions.

The father, Kyler Knight, fled the state and was arrested in Virginia for robbery, where he remains. Those charges against Kyler Knight are accusations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they enter a guilty plea or are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

  East Orange Police Department, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Sentencing