Accused 'Terrorist' Convicted Of West Orange Armed Robbery

An Essex County jury has convicted the accused killer of Livingston teen Brendan Tevlin for a separate armed robbery in West Orange.

According to prosecutors, around 6 a.m. on July 10, 2014, Ali Muhammad Brown, 30, of Seattle, Washington, robbed a man in an apartment parking lot on Mount Pleasant Avenue in West Orange.

Pointing a 9 mm Smith and Wesson handgun at the victim and threatening to shoot him, Brown forced the man into the trunk of a car and robbed him of his driver’s license, credit cards, iphone and computer tablet, prosecutors stated.

Over the next few days Brown used the victim’s credit card at several locations Essex and Union County, prosecutors said.

On July 18, 2014, law enforcement personnel captured Brown at a makeshift campsite in the woods a few hundred yards from the location of the robbery.

After a two-week trial, a jury found Brown guilty of robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and unlawful possession of hollow point bullets.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Brown refused to leave his cell or participate in his defense except for two days during jury selection.

The state will seek the maximum penalty of 20 years, prosecutors stated.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20.

TERRORISM AND MURDER CHARGES

In addition to Tuesday’s armed robbery conviction, Brown is also awaiting trial for the June 25, 2014 murder of Livingston teen and Seton Hall Prep graduate Brendan Tevlin in West Orange.

• See related article: Livingston Teen’s Killing Outside West Orange Apartment Shocks Community

In July, authorities dropped charges against two West Orange men that had been implicated in Tevlin’s death along with Brown.

• See related article: Charges Dropped Against Men Accused Of Killing Brendan Tevlin

However, at the same time, prosecutors announced that a jury had returned a precedent-setting terrorism and murder indictment against Brown, the first time a defendant in a murder case has been charged with terrorism under New Jersey state law.

• See related article: Accused Murderer Charged With Terrorism

According to prosecutors, Brown has claimed that he killed Tevlin as an act of retribution for lives lost in the military conflicts in the Middle East.

• See related article: Man Accused In Livingston Teen’s Murder Sought ‘Vengeance’ For U.S. Military Action

No trial date has been set for the Tevlin case, prosecutors stated on Tuesday.