Short Hills Mall Carjacking-Murder: Jury Selection Begins For 1st Suspect

SHORT HILLS, NJ — Jury selection began Monday for one of four men accused of slaying 30-year-old Hoboken attorney Dustin Friedland during an alleged carjacking at The Mall At Short Hills in 2013, reports say.

Essex County resident Basim Henry, 33, will be the first of four suspects to stand trial for their alleged roles in a fatal shooting that left the Toms River North High School alum and a 2006 graduate of Bucknell University dead, reports say.

In 2013, Friedland, 30, a Toms River resident, was fatally shot in the head during a carjacking when he and his wife returned to their SUV in a parking deck at the mall. Authorities stated that the couple's Range Rover was the target — not Friedland — in the incident.

Friedland was fatally shot after struggling with the carjackers, and his wife was then ordered out of the vehicle before the two thieves drove off, authorities said.

• See related article: Mall At Short Hills, Other Shopping Centers On 'High Alert' After Murder Of Toms River Man

Authorities have charged four Essex County men in connection with the shooting: Basim Henry, 33, of South Orange, Hanif Thompson, 29, of Irvington, Karif Ford, 32, of Newark, and Kevin Roberts, 35, of Newark.

Henry was arrested by the FBI Task Force at a hotel in the Easton area in Pennsylvania, while the other three were apprehended at their homes.

At least three of the four men have criminal records, ranging from burglary to bank robbery, according to NJ.com.

The three other defendants —Roberts, Ford and Thompson — face separate trials, prosecutors said.

• See related article: Four Essex County Men Accused of Deadly Short Hills Mall Carjacking

Friedland – an attorney in Hoboken - was pronounced dead following the shooting at Morristown Medical Center. His wife wasn’t injured but was also transported to the hospital following the incident, the Essex County Prosecutor’s office previously stated.

In August, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled that the insurance carrier for The Mall At Short Hills must pay for the legal cost of defending the mall against a lawsuit filed in the wake of Friedland’s death.

According to the ruling, the insurance company may be held responsible if a private contractor that provided mall security is found at fault for the shooting.

• See related article: Short Hills Mall’s Insurer May Be On Hook For Fatal Carjacking Lawsuit

REMEMBERING DUSTIN FRIEDLAND

Friedland’s Facebook page said he was a graduate of Toms River North High School and a 2006 graduate of Bucknell University.

The Asbury Park Press reported that in 1999, Friedland was named Eagle Scout for Troop 29 in Toms River and in 2002, the 19-year-old Friedland posed as George Washington for an America’s Day celebration at the Pine Beach Elementary School.

He competed in the N.J. Rowing Championship in 2001, and as a swimmer, placed third in the Toms River North-Brick Memorial 500-yard freestyle meet in 2000, according to reports. More recently, Friedland had been a member of the Hoboken Harriers Running Club.

Friedland, a 2009 grad of Syracuse Law School, was a project manager/estimator at Neptune-based Epic Mechanical Inc., according to his LinkedIn profile.

Photo: Dustin Friedland