Newark, NJ – A New Jersey man convicted of murder and weapons offenses in connection with a 1997 shooting was denied federal habeas relief this week after a district court found no constitutional violations in his state trial or appeal.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo issued the 45-page opinion on December 23, rejecting the petition of Kasib Jones, who sought to overturn his conviction and life sentence for the killing of Hafiz Hosein. Jones was found guilty at retrial after a previous jury failed to reach a verdict on the murder charge.
According to court records, Jones and co-defendant Demetrius Middleton were indicted for multiple crimes, including murder, armed robbery, felony murder, and unlawful possession of a handgun. While both men were acquitted of some counts at their first trial, a second jury convicted Jones of the purposeful or knowing murder of Hosein and related weapons charges. He was sentenced to life in prison with more than sixty-three years of parole ineligibility under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.
The convictions stemmed from a September 26, 1997, robbery plot in which prosecutors said Jones and Middleton targeted two brothers who were in possession of several kilograms of cocaine. During the attempted robbery at a Jersey City apartment, Hosein was shot once in the forehead and killed instantly.
Jones maintained in his habeas petition that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction and that his trial counsel was ineffective. The court disagreed, concluding that the Appellate Division’s earlier rulings upholding the verdict were consistent with federal law and that Jones failed to demonstrate prejudice or a denial of due process.
“The Court denies the Petition and also denies a certificate of appealability,” Judge Arleo wrote, effectively closing the federal review unless an appellate court grants further consideration.