Shocking murders

last updated 8 January 2015

Newark, N.J.

A city that has seen more than its share of violence was rocked this week by the execution-style murders of three college students. A fourth student was wounded in the attack. The four victims—Natasha Aeriel, 19; her brother Terrance, 18; Iofemi Hightower, 20; and Dashon Harvey, 20—attended Delaware State University together. Police say they were walking at night near a local school when unknown assailants robbed them, forced them to kneel against a wall, and shot them at close range. All were killed except Natasha, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head. The killings prompted outrage from many locals, who blame the city’s once-popular mayor, Cory Booker, for failing to curb violence in Newark. The city’s murder rate has climbed 50 percent since 1998.