ELIZABETH — Thirteen-year-old Elijah Henderson was fatally shot on his bicycle because he happened to be wearing a similar jacket as the Bloods gang member his killers were hunting for, according to a witness who testified today in the murder trial of Edariel "Riddick" Melendez. The witness, Abraham Rone, 25, said he had several conversations about Elijah's murder with...
Edariel "Riddick" Melendez is an Elizabeth man who was 19-years-old when he allegedly shot middle schooler Elijah Henderson to death in 2007.
The witness, Abraham Rone, 25, said he had several conversations about Elijah's murder with Melendez, a neighborhood friend and known member of the Crips. During those talks, Rone said Melendez admitted his involvement in the November 12, 2007 shooting and briefly recounted his version of events.
According to Rone, Melendez said he had been driving in a car with the second man charged in the homicide, Bryant "Smoke" Lee, when the pair spotted two members of the rival Bloods gang standing in front of a house on Fulton Street.
The duo immediately drove to Melendez's house to get a gun, then returned, Rone said. He said Melendez told him he then circled the block and parked, waiting in the car while Lee did the shooting, and speeding away once Lee jumped back into the car.
"Smoke was the shooter," Rone said Melendez told him.Like one of the intended targets, Elijah Henderson had been wearing a dark jacket made by The North Face, according to Rone. That's why Melendez said he was mistakenly shot, according to the witness, who added the jacket itself does not hold any significance as a gang sign.
"It wasn't supposed to go down like that," he recalled Melendez saying. "It just happened. It happened so fast."
When asked why he decided to testify against Melendez, 22, who along with Lee is facing charges of murder and conspiracy, Rone offered several explanations.
He acknowledged he had been facing an armed robbery charge at the time he gave his statement to prosecutors, although he added authorities did not promise any favors in return for his cooperation.
In addition, while Rone testified he is not in a gang himself, he said he had been childhood friends with one of the intended targets, Omar Kennedy, now a member of the Bloods gang. Melendez was not aware of that relationship when he chose to confide in Rone about the shooting, Rone testified.
And there was one more reason, Rone said.
"If it was somebody grown, I probably wouldn't have said nothing," he testified of the victim. "But it was a little kid, and I don't think he should suffer for what's going on in the streets."