Newark, NJ – Two members of the Neighborhood Bloods gang operating in Jersey City have been convicted on multiple federal charges for a 2017 triple murder that claimed the lives of a rival gang member, his pregnant girlfriend, and one of their own associates, officials announced.
Following a month-long trial, 37-year-old Markell Brown, known as “Sayboy,” and 37-year-old Terence Shaw, known as “Sweet Meat,” were found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, along with multiple counts of murder, firearm discharge, and causing death through the use of a firearm. Brown was convicted on all counts, while the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on one of the murder-related counts against Shaw.
According to trial evidence, on January 16, 2017, Brown and Shaw plotted to kill a rival gang member during an ongoing feud. The pair used a stolen U-Haul truck and two-way radios to carry out the ambush at the victim’s Fulton Avenue apartment. Investigators said the two executed the rival by shooting him in the back of the head, arm, and shoulder, and then fatally shot his 25-year-old pregnant girlfriend in the head and chest.
As they fled, Brown turned on their own accomplice—who had helped them gain access to the apartment—shooting him in the chest to prevent him from cooperating with law enforcement.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello said the verdict “holds accountable violent gang members who carried out a calculated, execution-style triple homicide,” adding that the brutality of the act “will be met with the full force of federal prosecution.”
FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy credited the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), a multi-agency task force formed in 2018, with bringing the killers to justice. “This show of force will make clear to anyone contemplating gang-related or other violent crimes: do not expect to walk free in New Jersey,” Roddy said.
Brown and Shaw each face mandatory life sentences for the murder counts, as well as additional penalties for the firearms charges. Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2026.
