Burlington County Man Convicted In Fatal Shooting: Prosecutor

A Belleville man has been convicted of murder for fatally shooting a man early last year in Mansfield Township, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced.

Quinnizel J. Clark, 35, was also found guilty of weapons charges related to the death of 68-year-old James Dewyer on Jan. 3, 2016, according to Coffina. He will be sentenced on Dec. 14.

“We were fortunate to have a jury that paid close attention to the evidence throughout the trial, and that obviously took great care in their deliberations Coffina said. “Mr. Dewyer’s daughter simply was looking for justice for her father in this case, and the jury delivered that today.”

Officers found Dewyer dead inside of his silver Dodge Avenger from an apparent shooting while checking on a parked car in Monica Court at around 4:15 p.m. the day of the shooting. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death to be homicide, police said.

The investigation revealed that Clark and Dewyer, who were acquaintances, had spent time together earlier in the day. Clark then drove Dewyer’s car to the location where it was discovered and shot him multiple times before leaving on foot. Clark has been in the Burlington County Jail since his arrest on July 8, 2016.

Dewyer’s last known legal address was in Burlington Township, but he hadn’t lived there for a few years, police said. He frequently moved, sometimes living in area motels.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Robert VanGilst, supervisor of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office’s Major Crimes Unit. The case was investigated by the Mansfield Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigator was Det. Wayne Raynor, who is now employed by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The attached image of Quinnizel J. Clark was previously provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.