A Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced ex-Newark cop Jovanny Crespo to consecutive prison sentences totaling 27 years in prison for shooting two men during a frenzied car chase through the city’s Central Ward in January 2019 that left one man dead and wounded the other.
Citing the need to deter police officers from what he called a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality, Judge Michael L. Ravin sentenced Crespo to 20 years for fatally shooting the driver in the car chase, Gregory Griffin and another seven years for wounding the passenger Andrew J. Dixon, both of Newark. The judge additionally sentenced Crespo to two, six-year sentences on two counts of official misconduct, which will run concurrently.
Crespo sunk back into his chair and members of his family burst into a tears when the judge advised the defendant that he won’t be eligible for parole for another 22 years and 11 months.
Crespo’s attorney, Isaac Wright Jr., had asked for leniency, telling the judge that Crespo, a patrolman, had less than two years on the job and had been poorly trained. Wright tried to convince the judge that Crespo’s superiors should have called him off the chase on the night of Jan. 28, 2019.
“He was a rookie,” Wright told the judge, adding that his partner behind the wheel of the patrol car also had less than two years on the job. “Two rookies in the car in a high-speed chase with an individual with a gun. Why would policy allow two kids to go out and engage in a high-speed chase?” Wright asked.
The prosecutor, Alexander Albu, countered that Crespo spent more than six months training at the police academy where he was schooled on the proper use of deadly force. Ravin agreed.
“The court is not swayed that he was young and inexperienced,” Ravin said. “He was extensively trained.” The sentence was only slightly less than the 33 years than Albu has asked for. Ravin called the five-minute chase through Newark that left Griffin dead and Dixon wounded, “an abhorrent abuse of police power.”
Why is it not the fault of the person who tried to escape the police and led them on a high speed chase? I guess I’m old fashioned but I thought we are supposed to comply with the police.
Because money and Lawyers will make money from case and cops are bad