Juvenile charged in killings of 2 Newark children

12/31/2013

ELIZABETH, N.J. — Authorities say a 15-year-old boy faces two counts of murder in the Christmas night slayings of two Newark children.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray announced the arrest this afternoon.

She says the juvenile is also charged with attempted murder of a third shooting victim and weapons charges. He’s being held in a youth detention facility.

The juvenile was apprehended in connection with the fatal shootings of a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy outside a home in the southern end of Newark near Interstate 78.

A funeral for the girl, Zainee Hailey, was held today. The honors student had returned from her grandfather’s house in Elizabeth and was taking out the trash when she was shot.

Newark will end 2013 with more than 100 murders, the most since 2006.