Millville man gets 22 years for manslaughter in 2018 fatal shooting of 19-year-old
BRIDGETON — A Millville man who emptied most of a pistol magazine into a vehicle at a downtown intersection, mortally wounding its young driver, was sentenced on a first-degree manslaughter charge.
Terrell L. Savage will serve at least 18 years in prison and as much as 22 years, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
Savage, 37, already is in South Woods State Prison here on a 15-year term for other crimes. His sentencing on April 17 was in accordance with a guilty plea he entered in February. The new prison term does not start until his current sentence is completed.
More: 2 indicted in Millville motorist's murder, man shot at stop sign
More: Transport facility taking over Vineland property, replacing small church and parsonage
The attack, which authorities say was unprovoked, occurred on May 18, 2018 at Broad and Dock streets in downtown Millville.
Fatal shooting of Maurice Lewis was unprovoked
The victim and his two male passengers had stopped at the intersection at about 11 p.m. The vehicle was pulling away when Savage, who was on foot, fired 10 rounds from a 14-round pistol magazine. He then fled.
One 9 mm round struck 19-year-old Maurice Nigel “Reese” Lewis in the back of his head. Lewis was declared clinically dead two days later at a Camden hospital.
Eight bullets hit his Chevrolet Suburban, including the one that struck Lewis. A front-seat passenger and a back-seat passenger were unscathed, though the unguided SUV crashed into a parked car.
Savage, a Millville resident, was arrested on May 22, 2018.
Indicted in September 2019, Savage originally was facing one count of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree attempted murder, multiple firearms offenses, and single counts of hindering and tampering. Those charges were all dismissed as part of the guilty plea agreement.
“No one deserves to live in a community where you can be shot to death while driving down the street, as this innocent victim was,” Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.
Shooting victim was hard worker, studying mechanics
A former Millville resident, Lewis was enrolled in a mechanics course at Pennco Tech in Blackwood and was planning on enlisting in the U.S. Army. He was in his third year working at a McDonald’s in downtown Millville.
At the time of the shooting, Savage was waiting to be sentenced to state prison on charges from a 2017 arrest in Millville and had been released from custody in the interim after entering guilty pleas in those cases.
Savage also had signed an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors, according to court documents.
The Office of the Attorney General took over the prosecution at the outset. Deputy Attorneys General Cassandra Montalto and Karen Braciszewski handled the sentencing.
Attorney Michael Ortiz represented Savage for the sentencing.
Judge George Gangloff Jr. sentenced Savage.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Millvile NJ man pleads guilty to manslaughter in 2018 shooting
