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Funny, "CANKICKER" also used the term "Animals" to describe minority youth that he blamed for the downfall of the formerly utopian JC Heights.

He also never met a superfluous exclamation mark he didn't like, was too lazy to spell out the word "your" and "you're" instead favoring "yr", and loved to leave spaces before punctuation marks.

We miss CANKICKER, don't you, "MYBEAT"?

FUGITIVE FAMILY TIES
Killer's bro wanted for murder 5 years later

Wednesday, February 18, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The U.S. Marshals Service has been called in to track down a man wanted for murder in Jersey City - and is hoping this won't be d?j? vu all over again.

When the marshals hunted down the man's brother in 2004, it ended with one officer shot in the stomach and the fugitive dead by his own hand, officials said yesterday.

"These individuals are apparently capable of extreme acts of violence," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio of fugitive Anthony Williams, 28, of Garfield Avenue, and his dead brother Niem Williams, 21, of Newark.

Anthony Williams is charged with felony murder, armed robbery and weapons offenses in the Jan. 22 daytime robbery that claimed the life of Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin, 59, of Fulton and Ocean avenues, officials said.

Benjamin was killed during the robbery of an illegal gambling establishment on Ocean Avenue at Forrest Street.

In 2004, Niem Williams was a fugitive charged with killing Rose Colon, 50, of Jersey City, who was shot in the chest outside her Ege Avenue home by a stray bullet fired during a robbery on June 24, 2004.

When officers of the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Fugitive Task Force went to arrest Niem Williams at his home, he shot Essex County Sheriff's Officer Kennedy Murray in the stomach.

The sheriff's officer was on loan to the Task Force at the time, and he has since recovered and returned to work, a spokesman for the Essex County Sheriffs Office said yesterday.

When officers finally broke into the second-floor unit belonging to Niem Williams' mother, they found his body on the bedroom floor, officials said.

Investigators said Williams shot himself in the head with the same gun he used to shoot through the door and wound Murray. They also found a .32-caliber revolver was on a bed, officials said.

Niem Williams was in prison from May 16, 2001 to May 12, 2004 on convictions for unlawful possession of a handgun and drug possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, corrections officials said.

Police say David Ashley, 25, of Armstrong and Rose avenues, was involved in the robbery that cost Benjamin his life and Ashley was arrested on the night of the killing and faces the same charges as Anthony Williams in that crime, officials said.

Ashley is being held at the Hudson County jail in Kearny on $1 million cash-only bail. Detectives have leads on a third suspect in the gambling establishment robbery, the man they believe pulled the trigger, DeFazio said.

Anyone with information on Anthony Williams' whereabouts is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.

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Why would you expect anything less from Animals ?

COPS HUNT 'DRIVER'

Wednesday, February 04, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A second man has been charged with felony murder in the robbery of an illegal gambling establishment in Jersey City where a man was shot dead last week, and investigators think he may have fled the area.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Anthony Williams, 28, of Garfield and Woodlawn avenues, on the charges of felony murder, armed robbery and weapons offenses in the Jan. 22 daytime robbery that claimed the life of Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin, 59, of Fulton and Ocean avenues, officials said yesterday.

David Ashley, 25, of Armstrong and Rose avenues, who was arrested the night of the robbery, faces the same charges as Williams, says Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio.

Detectives have leads on a third suspect, the man they believe pulled the trigger in the robbery that targeted gambling receipts, DeFazio said.

Police believe Williams drove the getaway car that was parked at some distance from the small bodega, which also served as a location for betting on an illegal lottery, DeFazio said.

Authorities say the third suspect was armed with a handgun when he entered the store with Ashley. Store employees were ordered to a back room and the gunman and Benjamin got into an altercation that led to Benjamin's shooting, DeFazio said.

The second man then cleaned out Benjamin's pockets and the cash register before both fled, DeFazio said. Benjamin was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center and was pronounced dead at about 2:40 p.m.

Ashley is being held in Hudson County jail in Kearny on $1 million cash-only bail.

Anyone with information on Williams' whereabouts is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.

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Yes, that's it. Obama closed Guantanamo, so that means this guy will be out in 2 years. Way to use a tragedy to push your political agenda.

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There is something particularly bone-chilling and gruesome to imagine them cleaning out the pockets of the man they just SHOT as he lay dying.

Disgusting.

Jersey City man charged in betting parlor worker's killing

by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal
Friday January 23, 2009, 2:34 PM


David Ashley, 25, of Jersey City, has been charged in the death of Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin.

A Jersey City man has been arrested and charged with murdering a Greenville man who died after being shot in the chest and arm during a confrontation with robbers in an Ocean Avenue illegal gambling establishment, officials said.

David Ashley, 25, of Armstrong and Rose avenues, was arrested last night and charged with the felony murder of Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin, 59, of Fulton and Ocean avenues, during a robbery at the store located near Forrest Street, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said. Ashley is also charge with robbery and a weapons offense, the prosecutor said.

Ashley made his first appearance on the charge in Central Judicial Processing Court in Jersey City this morning via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny and Judge Richard Nieto informed him his bail was set at $1 million cash only.

Yesterday morning two men described as "young adults" entered the small store and cased it before one took out a handgun and ordered the employees into a back room, DeFazio said.

The gunman approached Benjamin at there was a physical confrontation during which the victim was shot, DeFazio said, adding that the second man cleaned out the victim's pockets and the cash register. Benjamin was rushed into emergency surgery at the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at about 2:40 p.m., DeFazio said.

A postmortem performed at the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark today determined Benjamin died of a gunshot wound to his chest which exited his back and a deep graze wound to his right forearm, DeFazio said. It's not clear if the wounds were caused by one bullet of as a result of multiple shots, the prosecutor said.

A gun has been recovered but the prosecutor would not provide more information about it, DeFazio said, adding that determining whether or not Ashley was the triggerman is part of the ongoing investigation. Detectives are reviewing security video taken from several locations around the store to determine if it contains evidence.

Homicide detectives were led to Ashley by statement made by witness to the shooting, said DeFazio, who would not provide details on how many people were in the store at the time. Investigators may be looking for two additional suspects, one possibly a getaway driver, DeFazio said.

"The location was running an illegal numbers lottery," DeFazio said, adding that it is possible the robbers expected to find a large amount of money on hand due to the lottery operation. The prosecutor noted that there is no reason to believe the victim was engaged in illegal activity. Yesterday DeFazio characterized the amount of money taken as "hundreds of dollars."

"Once again we see completely unnecessary and wanton gun violence," DeFazio said. "It's a tragic situation that a 59-year-old man had to die under these circumstances."

Anyone with information on the robbery and murder is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.

Jersey City man charged in betting parlor worker's killing

by Michaelangelo Conte/The Jersey Journal

Friday January 23, 2009, 2:34 PM
Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal

David Ashley, 25, of Jersey City, has been charged in the death of Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin.

A Jersey City man has been arrested and charged with murdering a Greenville man who died after being shot in the chest and arm during a confrontation with robbers in an Ocean Avenue illegal gambling establishment, officials said.

David Ashley, 25, of Armstrong and Rose avenues, was arrested last night and charged with the felony murder of Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin, 59, of Fulton and Ocean avenues, during a robbery at the store located near Forrest Street, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said. Ashley is also charge with robbery and a weapons offense, the prosecutor said.

Ashley made his first appearance on the charge in Central Judicial Processing Court in Jersey City this morning via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny and Judge Richard Nieto informed him his bail was set at $1 million cash only.

Yesterday morning two men described as "young adults" entered the small store and cased it before one took out a handgun and ordered the employees into a back room, DeFazio said.

The gunman approached Benjamin at there was a physical confrontation during which the victim was shot, DeFazio said, adding that the second man cleaned out the victim's pockets and the cash register. Benjamin was rushed into emergency surgery at the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at about 2:40 p.m., DeFazio said.

A postmortem performed at the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark today determined Benjamin died of a gunshot wound to his chest which exited his back and a deep graze wound to his right forearm, DeFazio said. It's not clear if the wounds were caused by one bullet of as a result of multiple shots, the prosecutor said.

A gun has been recovered but the prosecutor would not provide more information about it, DeFazio said, adding that determining whether or not Ashley was the triggerman is part of the ongoing investigation. Detectives are reviewing security video taken from several locations around the store to determine if it contains evidence.

Homicide detectives were led to Ashley by statement made by witness to the shooting, said DeFazio, who would not provide details on how many people were in the store at the time. Investigators may be looking for two additional suspects, one possibly a getaway driver, DeFazio said.

"The location was running an illegal numbers lottery," DeFazio said, adding that it is possible the robbers expected to find a large amount of money on hand due to the lottery operation. The prosecutor noted that there is no reason to believe the victim was engaged in illegal activity. Yesterday DeFazio characterized the amount of money taken as "hundreds of dollars."

"Once again we see completely unnecessary and wanton gun violence," DeFazio said. "It's a tragic situation that a 59-year-old man had to die under these circumstances."

Anyone with information on the robbery and murder is asked to call the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.

I don't go to bodegas just grocery stores, delicatessens, and the candy store.

FRONT PAGE/JERSEY JOURNAL 1/23/09: Healy Touts "Change You Can See" and Shot in Broad Daylight -
Murder in Bodega. Yes Mr. Healy I see the change and it ain't good!!

I believe this happened about 11 or 12pm yesterday & I heard they have some suspects that they are questioning.

I feel sorry for the wife and daughter - now they have no husband and father due to the foolish act of some a-holes. I'm sure when they catch these two we'll all hear from their families how "good" they were and they wouldn't do something like this.

It's time for the criminal justice system to get some teeth and put people like this away for life. It all comes from the top - Obama's orders to close Guantanamo has all the terrorists the world over jumping for joy.

I hate the animals in this city. Acts like this destroy compasion for the deprived areas of JC.

CRIME IS DOWN; HEALY SAID SO!

I hope they catch these little a%$holes. This man loses his life for a small chunk of change.

Shots kill during daytime robbery

Friday, January 23, 2009
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A 59-year-old man became Jersey City and Hudson County's first murder victim of 2009 when he died of two gunshot wounds yesterday afternoon after a confrontation with robbers, officials said.

Elisha "Elijah" Benjamin, of Fulton and Ocean avenues, was shot once in the chest and once in the arm during a robbery of a bodega at Ocean Avenue and Forrest Street, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

Benjamin was shot with a handgun while struggling with a robber, and he was pronounced dead at the Jersey City Medical Center at about 2:40 p.m. yesterday, DeFazio said.

Benjamin's wife, Christine, and his daughter, Keisha Rosario, said he helped out at the store.

"I'm in shock," Christine Benjamin said last night. Co-workers drove her to the hospital, but "he was in surgery and he died before we could see him."

Yesterday morning two men described as "young adults" entered the small store and cased it before one of them took out a handgun and ordered the employees into a back room, DeFazio said.

"One of the individuals drew the weapon and approached Mr. Benjamin and at that point there was a physical confrontation and the victim was apparently intentionally shot," DeFazio said. "Then the other actor went through Mr. Benjamin's pockets and the register."

It's not clear if the robbers expected to find a large sum of money at the store, but they netted no more than "several hundred dollars," DeFazio said. Benjamin appears to have been targeted, said DeFazio, who added that no one else in the store was robbed or hurt.

The robbers did not wear masks, DeFazio said, adding that investigators "are hopeful about an arrest."

"If anyone knows anything, please come forward," Benjamin's daughter pleaded last night. She said what she would miss most about her father was that he would call her every day, how he could make people laugh and his cooking.

"Family was the most important thing to him," Rosario said. "He was a kind, loving man and he would do anything for anybody. It was never about money for him. If he could help, he would."

Yesterday afternoon the silver roll-down doors of the small store were closed. Workers at a car wash across Ocean Avenue from the store said police questioned them, but said they hadn't seen anything.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the Prosecutor's Office's Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.