Jury convicts man of murder for deadly 2020 South Jersey shooting

A man was convicted Wednesday of killing a man who was found shot in a car on a Cumberland County highway in 2020 and later died from his injuries, authorities said.
Marese Washington Jr., 31, of Vineland was found guilty of murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and second-degree aggravated assault, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday.
Kesean Bey, of Bridgeton, was driving northbound on Route 55 in Millville shortly after midnight on July 24, 2020 when shots were fired from another car into his vehicle, according to court records. A bullet struck Bey in the forehead and his car veered off the highway and plowed into several trees before coming to a stop.
By was partially paralyzed and unable to talk as a result of the shooting, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
He died on Feb. 24, 2022 from injuries related to the shooting, the office said. He was 28.
Video surveillance showed that Washington’s car followed Bey’s out of a Wawa parking lot in Millville minutes before the shooting, and more videos showed Washington’s vehicle following Bey onto Route 55, investigators said. Cellphone data also placed Washington at the scene of the shooting.
Washington was initially charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and assault charges but was indicted in 2022 on the same charges he was found guilty of on Wednesday, officials said.
He was scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 6 and faces between 30 years and life in prison, the office said.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at [email protected].