Newark Man Sentenced to Life for Fatally Shooting a Man in a Wheelchair, Prosecutor Says

A Newark man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2024 fatal shooting of a Newark man who was seated in his wheelchair, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced in an official release read by this desk.

On July 24, 2026, a jury found Shaheed Hall, 36, of Newark, guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a gun and second-degree possession of a gun for an unlawful purpose, according to the prosecutor's office. Following the verdict, Hall pleaded guilty to additional charges of certain persons not to have weapons and being a persistent offender. The Honorable Christopher S. Romanyshyn, J.S.C., presided over both the trial and the sentencing.

The prosecution proved that on April 28, 2024, Hall opened fire on Deshaun Winston, 50, of Newark, while Winston was seated in his wheelchair and speaking with another man on Osborne Terrace, according to the release. Winston was struck twice in the head and once in the neck and died. Surveillance presented at trial showed the two in a heated conversation about two hours before the shooting and captured Hall returning to the area and shooting Winston, officials said. Hall was arrested on June 14, 2024, at the Veterans Courthouse in Newark, where he had appeared on unrelated weapons and drug charges.

After the sentencing, Assistant Prosecutor Bryashia Atchison said, as published in the prosecutor's release: "This sentence holds the defendant accountable for the brutal murder of Mr. Winston and provides a measure of justice for his family." Hall will also serve an additional eight-year sentence for weapons and drug charges consecutively, and under the No Early Release Act he must serve 85 percent of the life sentence before he is eligible for parole, according to the prosecutor's office.