A New Jersey inmate was released early because of the COVID panic and celebrated by killing a man two days later.
Officials from the New Jersey Department of Corrections confirmed Jerry D. Crawford, 25, who was serving time on burglary charges, was released on “public health emergency credits” on Nov. 4. Two days later, he and Yusuf Waites, 23, who had also just gotten out of custody less than a month earlier, shot 18-year-old Davion Scarbrough to death.
FACT-O-RAMA! New Jersey prisons had the highest COVID death rate in the nation.
Police responded to a call of shots fired, and Scarbrough’s bullet-ridden body was found shortly thereafter on a dirt path. Nearby were two groupings of distinct shell casings, indicating Scarbrough had been shot by two guns. Crawford and Waites were seen on video with Scarbrough shortly before the murder.
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When Crawford was charged last month with the murder, he was already back home in the hoosegow on gun and theft charges. Those charges have since been dismissed, and Crawford is now facing first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, as is Waites. Waites was also indicted for his part in a daytime drive-by shooting involving eight other thugs.
Why Were They Freed Early?
New Jersey freed 2,261 of their incarcerated darlings on November 4, 2020, one day after the election. Many had roughly eight months left on their sentences, but due to the toll COVID was taking on the prisoners, many were set free early. New Jersey’s liberal governor, Tom Murphy, signed a bill into law allowing the prisoners to skate before they’d done their full time. Early releases have continued on a rolling basis.
Prisoners released early have been committing crimes around the country. Crimes rates have exploded in major cities, most of them blue, since 2020, when the early releases began. Bail reform laws keep many criminals on the streets, including serial bank robber Jonathan Desir.
The experiment needs to be over. Coddling criminals doesn’t work. Being “woke” and pursuing “equity” are keeping thugs out of prison, free to commit more crimes. Chicago is a glaring example of woke gone bad. Mayor Lightfoot and State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, the Windy City’s one-two punch of liberal irresponsibility, are getting people shot every 1 hour and 56 minutes.
Related: Chicago Cops Turn Their Backs on Mayor Lightfoot at Hospital
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