East Orange Man Convicted of Murdering a Teenager and Attempted Murder in Two Shootings, Essex County Prosecutor Says
An Essex County jury convicted James Tolbert, 31, of murder in the 2022 killing of 16-year-old Alsanir Hall and of attempted murder in a 2023 shooting outside a Newark home.
Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced that a jury has convicted James Tolbert, 31, of East Orange, of murder and attempted murder in connection with two separate shootings in 2022 and 2023, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
On Oct. 9, 2026, after one day of deliberations, the jury found Tolbert guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and weapons offenses in the 2022 fatal shooting, and of first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy and weapons offenses in the 2023 shooting, according to the prosecutor's office. Prosecutors proved that on Nov. 27, 2022, Tolbert and several other men picked up 16-year-old Alsanir Hall from a residence in Newark, drove him to Irvington, demanded money from him and shot him in the face at close range, according to the office.
Prosecutors also established that on Jan. 22, 2023, Tolbert used the same handgun to fire into a Newark residence where a five-year-old's birthday party had taken place earlier, according to the prosecutor's office. Tolbert and another gunman threw items outside to lure 26-year-old Altiliyah Butler outside and fired 19 rounds, striking Butler twice, the office said.
The case was tried by Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Austin Edwards and Assistant Prosecutor Alaric Azeez before Judge John Gizzo. Following the verdict, Edwards said, according to the prosecutor's office, "While nothing can bring Alsanir back, we hope this verdict brings some closure to his family and his loved ones and helps them continue to heal." Tolbert is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 4, 2026, and faces 30 years in prison for the murder and 10 to 20 years for the attempted murder, according to the office.
