Four suspects have been arrested in the unrelated June slayings of two New Jersey teenagers -- one, a soon-to-be sophomore at the University of Richmond, the other a high school cheerleader who was headed to college this fall -- who were killed four days apart.
Brendan Tevlin, 19, and Cheyanne Bond, 17, were killed in late June in West Orange and Newark, respectively. Prosecutors say the cases are not related, but they announced the arrests in both cases at a news briefing Monday.
Three suspects, including a registered sex offender suspect in two homicides in another state, were arrested in the death of Tevlin. Tevlin, of Livingston, was found shot dead inside a Jeep parked in a lot on Northfield Avenue several hours after police said he left a friends house following a night of video game playing.
Prosecutors say the weapon used to kill Tevlin is the same weapon used in two murders in Seattle, Washington. They linked that gun to a 29-year-old sex offender, and found him living in a makeshift camp in a wooded area of West Orange. He faces felony murder, robbery and conspiracy charges.
A 19-year-old who lives in the apartment complex where Tevlin's body was found, along with an 18-year-old who lives elsewhere in West Orange, were also arrested in connection with Tevlin's death. They too were charged with felony murder, among other crimes.
Bond, of Irvington, was shot and killed on South 17th Street near a park June 29. Weeks before her death she graduated from high school, where she was a cheerleader, and attended prom, according to her friends. Relatives said she was scheduled to begin college in September and wanted to be a nurse.
On Monday, prosecutors announced a 31-year-old Irvington man had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in her death. He also faces robbery, conspiracy and weapons charges.
Prosecutors say the 31-year-old suspect and another man tried to steal an iPhone from Bonds and a 17-year-old friend as the two walked down the street. Both were shot. Bond was pronounced dead shortly after police arrived; her friend survived.
It wasn't immediately clear if police were still looking for a second suspect in the Bond case.
All four suspects arrested in the slayings of the teenagers are being held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark. They are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.
