New Jersey

Getaway Driver Sentenced to Life in Prison in Deadly New Jersey Mall Carjacking

Dustin Friedland of Hoboken was shot in the head Dec. 15, 2013 in front of his wife as the couple returned to their Range Rover in the parking deck of The Mall at Short Hills

What to Know

  • Basim Henry was convicted in March on murder and other charges in the deadly December 2013 carjacking at The Mall At Short Hills
  • Dustin Friedland, a young attorney in Hoboken, was shot and killed in the parking lot in front of his wife just 10 days before Christmas
  • Henry was sentenced to life in prison; he won't be eligible for parole until he's 101 years old.

The getaway driver convicted of murder in the carjacking death of a young Hoboken attorney at a New Jersey mall in 2013 has been sentenced to life in prison. 

Basim Henry was found guilty in March of murder and other felony charges in the shooting death of Dustin Friedland, who was killed in front of his wife in The Mall at Short Hills parking lot just 10 days before Christmas in 2013.

Henry had been the first of four men to go on trial in Friedland's death. 

At sentencing Monday, Henry declined to offer a defense of his actions and didn't express remorse. He smiled at the judge at one point. 

Friedland's widow, Jamie Schare Friedland, who testified during the trial, addressed Henry during sentencing.

"Your intentional decision -- it wasn't just someone's car," she said in tears. "It was someone's life. You stopped my life that night. You did real, lasting, permanent damage."

Friedland's mother, Rose Friedland, called Dustin a "perfect husband, cherished brother, beloved son." 

The murder charge alone carried a sentence of 30 years to life in prison. Henry was on probation at the time of the killing, and the judge at sentencing said if released, Henry would almost certainly commit another crime. 

Henry won't be eligible for parole until he's 101 years old. 

The other suspects, Hanif Thompson, of Irvington, and Newark residents Karif Ford and Kevin Roberts have pleaded not guilty to felony murder and other charges in connection with the carjacking. They await trial.

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