Should Teen's Accused Killer Get 15 Years? Maplewood Plans Protest Of Plea Deal

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — After Maplewood teen Moussa Fofana was shot to death at a school athletic field the night of June 6, 2021, a 20-year-old Newark man was charged with his murder.

Last month, Fofana's mother Hawa Fofana told the media that she has heard that the accused killer, Yohan Hernandez, will be offered a plea deal of 15 years.

Now, supporters of the Fofana family, including Maplewood Mayor Dean Dafis and South Orange Village President Sheena Collum, plan to attend a march on Thursday night from Columbia High School to Maplewood Town Hall to protest the rumored deal.

Hearing Next Week

Hernandez faces a hearing on Sept. 22 in front of an Essex County court judge.

A spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office has declined to comment on the possible deal, only confirming the upcoming court appearance.

Former Maplewood Mayor Fred Profeta — who helped to raise more than $50,000 in reward money toward the capture of Fofana’s murderer – will speak at the march.

"This was an intentional murder. The penalty for intentional murder is 30 years to life," Profeta said this week. “But the prosecutor has agreed to ask for a ridiculously low prison term of 15 years. The community is outraged.”

According to the march's organizers, at a virtual arraignment for Hernandez in August 2021, "His attorney claimed that Hernandez shot Fofana in self-defense, after Fofana and a friend allegedly chased Hernandez’s younger brother at Underhill Sports Complex in Maplewood on the night of June 6."

Friends had said that Fofana, 18, and a friend had been crossing the field to go watch a boxing match at another friend's house.

After Fofana was shot to death, his mother received a call at home from police, telling her that her son was dead.

The protest will start at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 15. Protesters will gather at the entrance to Columbia High School (470-482 Valley St., Maplewood).

With a Maplewood Police escort, they'll walk along Kensington Terrace to Oakland Road to Valley Street, ending at Maplewood Town Hall, where the towns’ leadership will address the crowd.

Information on letter writing and a petition for signing will be available at Maplewood Town Hall.

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