On the night of July 20, 2021, Leeana Cottle, 21, was shot on the 200 block of South 10th Street in Newark, New Jersey. The shooting happened at about 11:30 p.m.; she was taken to University Hospital and pronounced dead at 11:50 p.m. Reports say she stepped in between a female friend and a male acquaintance during a violent domestic dispute and was shot while intervening.

In the days after the killing, authorities arrested 32-year-old Wesley Jean-Marie of Valley Stream, New York. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He was held in New York pending extradition to New Jersey. The Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the Newark Police Department led the investigation with help from New York law enforcement.

If anyone knew Leeana or witnessed what happened that night, please share information that could help the case.