Life In Prison For Edison Speedway Murder Of Woodbridge Man

EDISON, NJ — A South Carolina man was sentenced this week to life in prison without parole for killing a Woodbridge man while he worked at a local gas station.

This was the 2018 murder of John Bertram, 38, who lived in the Fords section of Woodbridge.

Bertram was shot to death at his job at the Speedway gas station on Amboy Avenue in Edison:

At about 4 a.m. on December 20, 2018, Marcus Wright, 27, of Beaufort, South Carolina, pictured above, entered the gas station wearing a black ski mask and held up Bertram with a gun. Bertram was working as a clerk inside the store.

Wright demanded money, and Bertram handed over cash that was in the register.

After getting the cash, Wright fired his gun with a single shot, killing Bertram. Bertram was pronounced dead when Edison Police got there moments later, at 4:15 a.m.

A woman, Olya Quinnam, 26, accompanied Wright for the armed robbery. She waited outside as Wright entered the store. She is also from Beaufort, South Carolina.

The two were arrested in their home state of South Carolina after detectives with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office tracked them there, and identified them as suspects in the murder.

After a two-week trial that began on September 5, 2023, Wright was found guilty by a Middlesex County jury of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree armed robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and illegal gun crimes.

He was sentenced Monday of this week (March 4) to life in a New Jersey state prison without parole by Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Andrea Carter.

The woman, Quinnam, previously pleaded guilty in 2019 to one count of first-degree armed robbery. She was sentenced, also Monday, to 10 years in NJ state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act. That means she has to serve her full 10 years and cannot get out early for good behavior.

Marcus Wright accused of killing his cell mate in South Carolina

Wright was investigated for a similar gunpoint gas station robbery in Long Island, that happened right around the same time as the Speedway murder, but never convicted.

Also, while he was being held in jail in South Carolina and awaiting extradition to New Jersey, he killed his cellmate during a fight, NJ 101.5 reported.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections told WLTX-TV Wright was charged with murder in the death of cellmate Matthew Williams at the Lieber Correctional Institute.

The two inmates got into a fight and Wright hit Williams in the face and head with a "personal weapon," causing severe injuries to his face and head. Williams died from blunt-force trauma.

Wright was held twice at that prison for two different robberies in South Carolina.

Remembering Fords resident John Bertram

Fords resident Bertram worked at the Speedway for eight months before he was killed, and was known for how much he loved his dogs, Bear and Angel. "He was a gentle giant, always helpful, and a man true to his word," his obituary read. "He loved to garden and will be missed by all who knew him."

"He loved animals and was a loyal person ... he always stood by his word," wrote a friend, Holly Fox, on this GoFundMe page set up for his family.

He loved animals so much that his family requested donations to the Woodbridge Animal Shelter in lieu of flowers at his funeral.

See photos of John Bertram from his obituary on the Woodbridge Patch: Fords Residents Mourn Man Killed In Edison Gas Station Robbery

The investigation, arrest and ultimate conviction of Marcus Wright was led by Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant David Abromaitis, Lieutenant James Napp, Sergeant Derek Feuerstein, Sergeant Andrew Winter, Detective James Alleva, and Detective Ben Klein; and Lieutenant Loren Long, Detective Nicholas Bayne, and Officer Robert Bertucci of the Edison Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski and Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Caitlin Lavery.

Two Arrested In Edison Gas Station Murder: Prosecutor (2019)

Similarities Between Edison Speedway Murder, Long Island Robbery (2018)