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Jose Branch, of Plainfield, was tracked down in Raleigh in connection with the March 1 shooting death of Steve Camino in North Plainfield, Acting Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart said.
He was charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and extradited from North Carolina to Somerset County on Tuesday, April 19, Taggart said. Branch was jailed pending a detention hearing.
Kenneth Hill, 21 of Plainfield, and Daniel Carrera-Cardona, 22, of Piscataway, were previously arrested in Camino's death, authorities said.
Camino was found with gunshot wounds by police responding to a 911 call around 9:35 p.m. March 1 near Grove Street and Prospect Place, Taggart said alongside local police.
Police immediately initiated life saving measures and requested emergency medical personnel to the scene, police said. North Plainfield Officers continued CPR until relieved by North Plainfield Fire Department and EMS personnel.
Camino was taken to an area trauma center where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives from the North Plainfield Police Department along with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit responded to conduct the investigation.
Investigators from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office also responded to the scene to conduct the investigation. A post-mortem examination was subsequently performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office which ruled Camino’s death a homicide.
Hill was charged with first-degree murder and related weapons offenses, while Carrerea-Cardona was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. They were both lodged in the Somerset County Jail.
Anyone with information relating to this homicide is urged to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the North Plainfield Police Department at (908) 769-2937 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos.
STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
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