New Jersey

‘Mastermind' in Kidnap-Murder of Councilman's Grandson to Stay in Jail

Curtis Jenkins III was shot and left with a plastic bag over his head in the garage of an abandoned home, prosecutors said

What to Know

  • Curtis Jenkins III was kidnapped, shot and left to asphyxiate in an abandoned home, prosecutors said.
  • Brandon Beverly, 32, is charged with the kidnap and murder of Jenkins.
  • Jalen Carr, 22, is charged with helping to steal a cellphone that Beverly used to make ransom demands from Jenkins' family.

A 32-year-old man was the "mastermind" behind the kidnapping and murder of a Camden councilman's grandson and "presents the gravest of danger to this community," prosecutors said Thursday at a New Jersey courthouse.

Brandon Beverly was surrounded by nine Camden County Sheriff's deputies as a judge ruled that he was to remain in jail on charges that he killed 20-year-old Curtis Jenkins III - grandson of Camden City Council President Curtis Jenkins. Beverly is charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder in the slaying.

Beverly's defense attorney suggested that a witness interviewed by police kept changing her story and was not credible, an accusation prosecutors flatly denied as Jenkins' mother looked on and wept.

"Beverly used the victim's food business to lure him, set him up, bind him, trap him and ultimately kill him," prosecutors said.

A second suspect, Jalen Carr, 22, is charged with robbery and gun crimes for allegedly working with Beverly to break into a home and steal a cellphone that was later used to demand a ransom payment from Jenkins' family. He was also ordered held Thursday.

The ordeal began the night of Sunday, June 30, when Beverly and a woman allegedly placed a food order to lure Jenkins to a home on the 100 block of Liberty Street in Camden. When Jenkins arrived, Beverly and a group of men allegedly forced him into a van, tied him up and blindfolded him.

Beverly allegedly used a stolen cellphone to text and call Jenkins' family and demand that they give him 10 to 15 pounds of marijuana as a ransom payment. As time passed, Beverly became agitated and shot Jenkins, according to investigators.

After shooting Jenkins, Beverly allegedly left him in the garage of an abandoned home on the 1100 block of Liberty Street in Camden. Jenkins was wrapped in a sheet, his hands and feet bound together, with a plastic bag covering his head. He died from asphyxia, according to the medical examiner's office.

Carr is not charged in the kidnapping and murder, but prosecutors say he helped Beverly steal the cellphone used to make the ransom demands from Jenkins' family.

According to prosecutors, Carr and Beverly stole the cellphone during a robbery early Monday, July 1, on the 200 block of Kaighn Avenue. Carr is charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Jenkins' sudden death rippled throughout the community. His father described him as a "very intelligent man" who was kind and caring.

Family members said Jenkins worked at the Camden city clerk's office and operated a BBQ food delivery service on the side. The night of his murder, they said, he was working to save up for a family trip.

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