An Essex County jury has indicted two men who are suspected of fatally shooting Shani Patel, a 21-year-old Indian American Rutgers University student, during a break-in at his shared Newark apartment in April.
According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, on Oct. 27, a jury indicted Marcus Feliz, 25, of Newark, and Fraynned Ramirez, 25, of Hartford, Connecticut, for the April 10 murder of Patel of Toms River, a 21-year-old economics student at Rutgers University’s Newark campus.
The nine-count indictment also charges Feliz and Ramirez with conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, conspiracy to commit murder, felony murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons charges.
The indictment alleges that Ramirez and Feliz broke into their Central Avenue apartment and shot Patel and his 23-year-old roommate. Patel was killed during the encounter; his roommate was injured but survived. Prosecutors said Oct. 27 that Feliz is in custody, but Ramirez remains at large.