Wayne Man Sentenced To 10 Yrs. In Graduation Night Murder

WAYNE, NJ — After one of the happiest moments of their lives, Meredith and Davis Rinas experienced the saddest.

Their son, Isaac Rinas, mere hours after his graduation from Wayne Valley High School on June 26, 2013, died on a street in Paterson's 4th Ward after he was shot in the throat during a botched robbery.

One of the participants, Casey Cole, 23, this week was sentenced to 10 years in prison on aggravated manslaughter and armed robbery charges for his role in the robbery, said Eileen Kane, a senior assistant prosecutor with the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office.

Cole received a 10-year sentence for each charge, Kane said. The sentences will be served concurrently. Cole will be eligible for parole after eight and a half years. He will be placed on five years of parole supervision when released.

"Nothing I can say will bring back Isaac," Cole told the Rinas family as his sentencing, according to a NorthJersey.com report. "I wish that I could change the things that I did, but I can't."

Rinas' parents adopted him from Romania when he was 2.

"He was always on the go, always looking for the next big thrill," Rinas' mother Meredith said at a memorial service for him a few weeks after he was killed. "He loved his family and friends."

Rinas, 18, was shot in the neck after what authorities said was a robbery-gone-wrong that Cole arranged after he allegedly promised Rinas he would help him purchase a handgun. (See related: Valley Graduate Shot, Killed in Paterson)

Police said Rinas drove Cole to Paterson's 4th Ward hours after the graduation ceremony. Cole allegedly set Rinas up to be robbed: Cole and Bishma Cowan of Paterson planned in advance to rob Rinas of the $350 he had with him when they arrived, authorities said.

A representative from the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office could not be reached for comment.

Cole said he agreed to participate in the robbery in exchange for a "brick" of heroin as long as no one was hurt, NorthJersey.com reported.

Cole and Rinas were told to wait for Quashon Faircloth on Fair Street. Once there, Faircloth entered the vehicle, got the money, and ordered Cole out of the car; after he attempted to get more money from Rinas, Faircloth exited the vehicle and shot Rinas in the neck. Rinas collapsed on the ground, authorities said.

Cole called 911 after Rinas was shot. (See related: Isaac Rinas 911 Audio: 'My Friend Just Got Shot—He's Dying')

"My friend just got shot," Cole said to the dispatcher. "He's dying. Isaac put pressure on it!" Cole told the dispatcher that a "tall skinny black guy" shot Rinas.

Cole, Cowan, and Faircloth were indicted on felony murder, murder, conspiracy, robbery, and illegal weapons charges in November of 2013.

Faircloth and Cowan received 15- and eight-year prison sentences, respectively, for their roles in the robbery and murder, NorthJersey.com reported.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: A 2013 mugshot of Casey Cole (Passaic County Prosecutor's Office)