Essex County Murder Suspect Arrested In Princeton

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Authorities in Essex County have arrested an East Orange man who is accused of murdering a 38-year-old Orange resident last month.

Darren Black, 37, of East Orange, was arrested and charged with the murder of Shafeqah Cooper, 38, of Orange, according to a Tuesday joint statement from Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens and Irvington Police Director Tracy Bowers.

Cooper was killed on Aug. 17. A preliminary police investigation indicated the murder occurred in the area of Valley Street and Argyle Avenue in Orange, prosecutors said.

Cooper’s body was discovered by a motorist on Krotik Place in Irvington, authorities stated.

Black was arrested without incident in Princeton by detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the FBI Fugitive Task Force. He has been charged with murder, concealment and removing human remains, illegal possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, prosecutors said.

Black is being held in the Essex County Correctional Facility. An investigation is active and ongoing, authorities said.

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