On the night of October 9, 2014, 35-year-old Newark resident Julio Martinez was sitting in his car near 75–77 South Street when he was shot multiple times at about 8:45 p.m. He was taken to University Hospital and pronounced dead at 9:06 p.m. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and Newark Police opened an investigation immediately.

Within days authorities identified 24-year-old Jonathan Balaguer of Newark as a suspect and charged him with murder and weapons offenses. A $1,000,000 bail was set while he was sought as armed and dangerous. In court on April 4, 2017, Balaguer, then 29, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter; state filings say he approached Martinez’s vehicle and shot him. The plea called for a 17-year prison term with 85 percent to be served before parole eligibility.

Did anyone in the neighborhood see Martinez’s car or events at South Street that night?