New Jersey

Gunman in Deadly 2013 New Jersey Mall Parking Lot Carjacking Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

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

  • The final three defendants who have pleaded guilty in the carjacking death of a newlywed at a New Jersey mall have been sentenced
  • Dustin Friedland, a young Hoboken attorney, was shot and killed in the parking lot in front of his wife 10 days before Christmas in 2013
  • Basim Henry, the fourth defendant, was sentenced in June in the deadly carjacking at The Mall at Short Hills

The gunman in the deadly carjacking of a young Hoboken attorney at a New Jersey mall in 2013 has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

A judge in Newark sentenced Hanif Thompson on Thursday. 

Prosecutors claimed Thompson and Karif Ford were on the hunt for high-end cars in the parking lot of The Mall at Short Hills just 10 days before Christmas in 2013. Authorities said they demanded the keys to the brand-new Range Rover belonging to Dustin Friedland. But after a struggle, Friedland, a newlywed, was shot and killed in front of his wife. 

Ford and Thompson admitted to their roles that night. Ford pleaded guilty to a count of first-degree carjacking and Thompson pleaded guilty to felony murder charges and unlawful possession of a handgun.

Friedland's widow also read a statement aloud, telling Thompson he "tore my dreams away from me."

Ford and a third defendant, Kevin Roberts, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison for their guilty pleas of first-degree carjacking.

The getaway driver, Basim Henry, was sentenced in June, to life in prison.

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