NEWARK, N.J. — The bodies of the three friends were found slumped near a playground wall, each killed by a shot to the head. Nearby, a fourth lay clinging to life after being shot and stabbed.
The barbarity of the August 2007 killings — a machete was believed used in the attack, and at least one victim was sexually assaulted — jolted a city already familiar with the human wreckage produced by the toxic mix of drugs, gangs and firearms. A series of anti-crime reforms followed that have been credited with reducing Newark's violent crime rate.
The events of that night will be relived in detail over the next several weeks when the first of six defendants stands trial on three counts of murder. Jury selection in New Jersey vs. Rodolfo Godinez is scheduled to begin Friday, with the trial expected to begin late next week...
