Newark Man Sentenced to 40 Years for the 2025 Fatal Shooting of a 20-Year-Old, Essex County Prosecutor Says
Wadi Brown, 34, of Newark, was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for fatally shooting Keion Alston, 20, after the two men argued on a Newark street in May 2025.
Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced that Wadi Brown, 34, of Newark, was sentenced to 40 years in New Jersey State Prison for the fatal shooting of Keion Alston, 20, also of Newark, in 2025, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
On July 16, 2026, a jury found Brown guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to the prosecutor's office. Judge Patrick J. Arre presided over both the trial and the sentencing.
Prosecutors proved that on May 10, 2025, Brown and Alston met on Bergen Street in Newark before walking around the corner to Harding Terrace, where witnesses testified the two men argued before Brown fired six shots at Alston, striking him in the back and killing him, according to the prosecutor's office.
Under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, Brown must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according to the office. Following the sentencing, Assistant Prosecutor Meredith Mona said, according to the prosecutor's office, "We are thankful that we were able to secure justice for Keion Alston and appreciate the strength and support his family and loved ones have shown throughout this case."
