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Kader Mustafa, 40, of Hightstown was convicted by the jury Tuesday on all his charges: first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and two counts of third-degree endangering another person, according to the Monmouth County prosecutor.
Mustafa had been charged in connection with the fatal highway shooting of Sciasia Calhoun, 24, of Freehold, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey said Tuesday.
The defendant and the victim did not know one another.
"This was a chilling, senseless crime, committed against a total stranger in the dead of night, in front of the victim’s horrified boyfriend and young child,” Linskey said. “We thank the jury for their service and are deeply gratified to know that while today’s verdict can’t bring Sciasia Calhoun back, this defendant will be kept off the streets and brought to justice for his actions.”
About 11:45 p.m. on May 3, 2018, Freehold police responded to a 9-1-1 call originating from a vehicle stopped along Route 33 West near the exit ramp for Halls Mill Road. At that location, patrol officers reportedly found three occupants of the vehicle, a 1997 Mazda Protégé: Calhoun suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head, as well as her boyfriend and her 1-year-old daughter, both of whom were not physically harmed, according to the prosecutor.
Calhoun was rushed by Freehold First Aid with help from Monmouth- Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC), to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later, Liinskey said.
An intensive investigation by the MCPO Major Crimes Bureau, assisted by the Freehold Township and Manalapan police departments, found that Mustafa was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Impala when he fired a single shot at Calhoun, Linskey said. The shooting reportedly followed several minutes of pursuit with Mustafa flashing his Impala's high beams at her Mazda, Linskey said. . Mustafa was apprehended by police at about 8:10 a.m. the next morning in Manalapan near Oakland Mills Road, accoriding to Linskey. Two handguns were recovered from his vehicle, the prosecutor said.
Tuesday’s verdict followed a multi-week trial before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano Jr.
Assistant Prosecutor John Loughrey, Prosecutor's Office Investigation Division director, handled the case.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2022. Mustafa faces a minimum of 30 years in state prison and a maximum of life-in-prison with a 30-year period of parole ineligibility.
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