One of the teen's accused killers has since admitted to luring him, but not to shooting the teen
TRENTON -- Two Trenton teens accused of killing 19-year-old Lance Beckett in a West Ward alley last week may have been accompanied by a third, unidentified person, prosecutors said Tuesday.
A prosecutor also said one of the suspects' admitted to luring Beckett into the alley near East Stuyvesant Avenue and Marion Street.
Quashawn Emanuel, 18 Prosecutors shed more light on the case during a bail hearing for one of the teens, Quashawn Emanuel, 18, who is charged with murder and weapons charges in connection with the shooting death of Beckett on Sept. 18.
A judge maintained Emanuel's bail at $1 million during the hearing.
A 17-year-old is also charged in connection with the killing. His name was not released because he's a juvenile.
Beckett was found dead around 3 p.m. on Sept. 18 near the East Stuyvesant Avenue and Marion Street intersection - a semi-remote area of the West Ward.
Witnesses said the 19-year-old was shot multiple times before his head was stomped on.
On Tuesday, Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Tim Ward said investigators located surveillance footage from the area showing Emanuel, the 17-year-old and another male walking Beckett to the area where he was killed.
Though Emanuel admitted that he lured Beckett into the alley, he denied killing the teen, Ward said. The prosecutor Beckett had been shot multiple times, including once in the back while he tried to run from the scene.
19-year-old shot dead in Trenton's West Ward
Witnesses in the area said they saw people running from the alley, Ward said.
Using witness descriptions and surveillance footage, investigators were able to identify Emanuel and the 17-year-old, Ward said.
The investigation into the third person seen on the surveillance video is ongoing, according to prosecutors.
Though barely an adult, Emanuel has a lengthy criminal history, Ward said Tuesday. He has been in and out of the juvenile court system for the past five years and has been charged with various offenses including weapons and drugs charges.
Ward said the murder charges are Emanuel's first as an adult.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman.