Teen Charged in Slaying of NJ High School Student Hours After Graduation Faces Arraignment

Police say 18-year-old Isaac Rinas was killed in his car in Paterson, N.J., hours after graduation

An 18-year-old charged in the slaying of a former classmate hours after the victim graduated from a northern New Jersey high school faces arraignment Monday.

Casey Cole is held on $2 million bail, charged with felony murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Authorities say 18-year-old Isaac Rinas drove Cole to Paterson after Rinas received his diploma from Wayne Valley High School on Wednesday.

Police say a man got in the vehicle, brandished a handgun and ordered both men out. Rinas was shot in the neck.

Passaic County chief assistant prosecutor Michael DeMarco tells The Record newspaper Cole is not accused of being the gunman and that suspect remains at large.

Cole's attorney, Joseph Afflito Jr., says his client did not plan a robbery that went awry.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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