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Last Friday, Jeremy Arrington of Newark, New Jersey was sentenced to 375 years in prison after being convicted of three brutal murders and the stabbing of three others on November 5th, 2016.
Ariel and Al-Jahon Whitehurst were only 7 and 11 years old when they were stabbed to death by Arrington. Syasia McBurroughs, a 23-year-old college student who happened to be visiting the Whitehurst family, was fatally shot in the head. Three others– Ariel and Al-Jahon’s 29-year-old mother and a set of 13-year-old twins – were stabbed but survived the attack.
Arrington, who was wanted in connection with an October 9th shooting and sexual assault,, became enraged when Ariel and Al-Jahon’s mother reposted an alert on Facebook about Arrington and the crimes, according to NJ.com.
Then, in an act so violent Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab labeled it as “pure evil,” Arrington tied up everyone inside the house and “proceeded to torture them by stabbing them with kitchen knives,” the prosecutor’s office said in the release.
While emergency medical personnel were able to save the mother and twins, Ariel and Al-Jahon were pronounced dead at University Hospital. Prosecutors say that McBurroughs was pronounced dead at the scene.
This tragedy could have been much worse if a young girl, who was unrelated to the family and just visiting, hadn’t managed to escape and call the police from her phone in a closet.
After committing these horrific crimes, Arrington fled the scene and barricaded himself in a nearby home, falsely telling police he was holding someone hostage. Thankfully, Arrington was caught and on March 4th — a whole five years after the murders had occurred — was convicted in Essex Country of 28 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.
According to Fox News, Jurors debated for less than two hours before handing down their decision. Judge Ronald Wigler told the defendant that he had committed “perhaps the most horrific, heinous, cruel, and depraved murders this county has ever seen.”
In addition to giving Arrington three life sentences, 75 years each, Judge Wigler imposed three 50-year sentences for each of the three survivors. Arrington will not be eligible for parole and will spend the rest of his life rotting away in jail.
“Justice has been served,” said Justin Edwab. “These families have waited over 5 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.”