Orange Man Sentenced to 55 Years for the 2018 Murder of His Former Girlfriend, Prosecutor Says
Ahigjah Broomes, 29, of Orange, must serve 85 percent of the 55-year sentence before parole eligibility for the 2018 killing of Akirah Townes, 20, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.
An Orange man has been sentenced to 55 years in New Jersey State Prison for the 2018 murder of his former girlfriend, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II announced. Ahigjah Broomes, 29, of Orange, was sentenced for the killing of Akirah Townes, 20, also of Orange.
A jury on March 23, 2026, found Broomes guilty of first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the prosecutor's office. Superior Court Judge Marysol Rosero presided over both the trial and the sentencing.
Prosecutors proved that in the early morning hours of April 27, 2018, Broomes stalked Townes, a Kean University student, four months after she ended their relationship, according to the release. Townes was with friends on Bloomfield Avenue preparing to leave for a trip to Virginia Beach when Broomes approached her with a knife and stabbed her multiple times; she was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, officials said.
Under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, Broomes must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according to the prosecutor's office. Anyone with information about criminal activity can contact the office's confidential tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC (1-877-847-7432).
