Men accused of 2022 Hackensack killing appear in court a year later
Suspects in the 2022 killing of a 28-year-old Maywood man appeared in court on Wednesday to discuss upcoming hearings in the case, roughly one year after the shooting.
Dior Alston and Malik Abel appeared before Judge James Sattely with Jaheim Robinson, one of two other suspects, for a status conference. The attorney for Rayshawn Powel-Myhand, also charged in the killing, said he accidentally emailed his client the wrong time regarding the hearing but had been in touch with him.
Vidal Nieves was walking in front of Minyety Barbershop on Essex Street in Hackensack last November when he was hit by gunfire. Another victim was hit but survived his wound. Nieves died several hours later.
Alston and Abel are charged with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, possession of a handgun and stalking. Powel-Myhand is charged with hindering apprehension.
Robinson was arrested in March in Nieves' death. He faces charges similar to those against Alston and Abel.
During the hearing, the attorneys and Sattely discussed what had happened since the last status conference, noting that Robinson's attorney, Nathan Kittner, had recently taken over the case and had been waiting to receive discovery. Prosecutor Meredith Kunz said Kittner did receive the expected discovery.
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Kittner said he had some discovery issues regarding statements made by a co-defendant and a non-co-defendant. He was in discussions with Chief Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Talarico regarding "proffers" made by the other defendants.
The state requested more time to file motions, set for Nov. 30. Kunz said there is a conflict, and the court proposed Jan. 4 as another day to hold the hearing. The prosecutor said the state does not have any conflict with that date, and they were waiting to see if Alston's attorney, Adrienne Edward, was available.
The motion hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4 at 10 a.m. before Sattely.
Nieves was originally from Virginia and moved to New Jersey, eventually settling down in Maywood, his obituary said. He worked as a retail clerk at a Dollar Tree store in Passaic and left behind a daughter.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hackensack NJ fatal shooting suspects appear in court
