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Authorities haven’t said whether Quadir Whitaker, 37, of East Orange has cooperated with their attempts to identify the shooter who ambushed 43-year-old Petra Rhoden the night of Oct. 4, 2019.
That unfortunately leaves the case open -- and loved ones, friends and others who cared for Rhoden still without closure.
Whitaker was driving as he and the mystery killer followed Rhoden from a pickup at a drive-through fast-food window to the night’s final delivery destination at 259 Harrison Street, near Rosa Parks Boulevard.
The unidentified shooter then got out, came up from behind Rhoden as she emerged from her car and shot her several times, authorities said.
The hard-working woman known "Ladii” got back into her car and tried to drive away, but her vehicle crashed through a fence and into a shed.
Rhoden, who previously lived in Englewood before moving to Paterson, was later pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center.
No motive for her killing was ever given or even suggested.
"I know I'm dreaming. I don't want to believe this," her daughter, Paterson rapper Free Bondz, wrote in a Facebook post. "I hate whoever did this. She was worried about no one."
"You can't even make money without being afraid for your life," family friend Annastasia Houchant posted. "That woman had kids, grandkids. She was a friend, mom, daughter, auntie, cousin, and all she was trynna do was make some [expletive] money. That's crazy."
Authorities originally charged Whitaker with murder and various weapons counts, including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
While investigators continued trying to identify the shooter, Passaic County prosecutors offered Whitaker a deal: Plead guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in exchange for a 10-year maximum sentence in state prison.
They didn’t say whether it was contingent on Whitaker cooperating, however.
He accepted the offer rather than risk the consequences of a trial.
Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, Whitaker won’t be eligible for parole for 8½ years. He’ll also remain under supervised release for five years after that.
Meanwhile, the femicide investigation continues.
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