Three men have pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges stemming from last month's street shooting death of a 14-year-old girl as she walked to a restaurant in northern New Jersey.
The Record reports the three Paterson residents — 20-year-old Shakeem Ricks, 22-year-old Tyheem Mayfield and 19-year-old Nyje Johnson — entered their pleas during a brief court hearing Wednesday. Each man remains jailed on $2 million bail.
Another man charged in the case, 22-year-old Paterson resident Basim Williams, remains at large. Three teenage boys are also charged with murder and may be tried as adults.
Passaic County prosecutors have said the Sept. 20 slaying of high school freshman Nazerah Bugg was not gang-related. They have attributed the shooting to ongoing neighborhood disputes in Paterson's 1st and 4th wards.
