Essex Judge Sentences Maplewood Murderers To Century In Prison

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A pair of men from Atlantic County were sentenced to more than a century in New Jersey state prison for murdering three people in Maplewood last year, prosecutors announced Wednesday.

A Superior Court judge sentenced Jimmy Mays, 35, to 153 years in prison and Lavelle Davis, 38, to 138 years for killing and torturing Lance Frasier, 44, of Newark, and murdering Roshana Kelson, 30, of Paterson and Michael Davis, 45, of Maplewood.

All three were killed in Michael Davis’ home by Lavelle Davis, 37, of Galloway and Mays, 34, of Egg Harbor Township. An unidentified, unindicted co-conspirator was never charged, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors said:

“The triple murder occurred in January of 2017. The defendants, who knew the victims, came to Michael Davis’ home at 38 Van Ness Court looking for drugs and cash. They killed Michael Davis and Kelson, who were sleeping, and tortured Frasier before also killing him. All three were fatally shot. When family members were unable to reach the victims, Maplewood firefighters went to the home to make a wellness check. That’s when they discovered the victims' bodies.”

• See related article: Men 'Tortured' Victim During Maplewood Triple Murder: Prosecutor
• See related article: Victims Of Maplewood Triple Murder Identified

An Essex County jury convicted Mays and Davis of conspiracy, murder, felony murder, burglary, robbery, criminal restraint and multiple weapons offenses. Assistant Prosecutor Carlo Fioranelli tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Sean Dickson.

At a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Assistant Prosecutor Fioranelli urged the judge to impose consecutive life sentences for each of the three murders, claiming it was warranted given the facts of the case.

Judge Richard Sules agreed and imposed a 46-year sentence for all three counts of murder in Davis’ case and 51-year sentence for all three counts of murder in Mays’ case. Under the No Early Release Act, they must serve 85 percent of their respective sentences before being eligible for parole, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Davis had two prior felony convictions before being convicted of the triple murder. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and aggravated assault.

Mays has four prior felony convictions. He was previously convicted of possession of a narcotics, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and jumping bail, prosecutors said.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Maplewood Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock