The video surveillance captured a man playing dice with the victim before he opened fire
TRENTON - A man accused of shooting a Trenton man to death in the street last month had played dice with the victim just before the attack, Mercer County prosecutors said Tuesday.
Virgil Howard, 26, of Willingboro, appeared in court by video conference Tuesday for a bail hearing on the charges he shot 52-year-old Elliot Simon Jr. to death April 8.
Simon was found suffering from gunshot wounds on the sidewalk a few houses from his residence on the 100 block of Boudinot Street. He later died from his injuries at a local hospital.
Investigators identified Howard as the shooter after watching surveillance tapes that captured the incident, prosecutors said Tuesday. He was arrested in a hotel room in Bristol, Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors said Howard had played dice with Simon in the street just before the shooting. Surveillance video captured Howard walking away from the scene and then reappearing carrying a gun.
Murder victim was father of slain teen
Howard reached into Simon's pockets and the video showed Simon pushing him away, prosecutors said. Then Howard opened fire, prosecutors said.
When police found Simon, he was still carrying a substantial amount of money, prosecutors said.
Howard left the scene and later that evening, walked into a convenience store. The surveillance from the convenience store allowed investigators to identify Howard as the gunman, prosecutors said.
A public defender handling Howard's case, said that he is a father and has another child on the way. She asked that his $1 million bail be reduced because of his strong ties to the area.
But a judge opted to maintain the bail Tuesday, citing the seriousness of the crime.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.