Essex County Holds First Jury Trial Since Pandemic Began

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Irvington man was convicted of murder at the conclusion of the first jury trial in Essex County since the coronavirus pandemic began, authorities reported Monday.

The trial was the first of its kind in Essex County since they were suspended in March 2020, according to Assistant Prosecutor Frederick Elflein, who thanked jurors for serving during “these unusual and difficult times.”

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Harold Colbert, 45, of Irvington, fatally shoot Daquan Cuttino, 25, of Newark, in November 2018 on the 600-block of South 18th Street.

Prosecutors stated:

“[Colbert] and [Cuttino] knew one another. They started out having what appeared to be a friendly conversation. They ended up in a fight and [Colbert] eventually pulled out a gun and shot at Cuttino 11 times. He was hit with eight bullets.”

Cuttino was transported to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead at 1:40 a.m.

Following a trial, Colbert was found guilty of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose. Sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 1.

Colbert faces a minimum of 30 years without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.

According to authorities, Colbert was previously convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. In March 1995, he was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison for those offenses.

In December 1999, Colbert was sentenced to five years again after entering a plea to aggravated assault and possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose. For those crimes, he had to serve 85 percent of sentence without the possibility of parole under the No Early Release Act, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said they will be seeking the “maximum penalty” based on Colbert’s prior criminal record.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page.