Trial Date Set For NJ's Coldest Case
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A trial date has been set in one of New Jersey's longest-running cold cases.
A state Superior Court judge in Newark set a May 2 trial date for Lee Evans of Irvington and his cousin, Philander Hampton of Jersey City, who are charged with murdering five Newark teens in 1978.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office says it will try the men separately, and it isn't known who will be tried first.
The men have pleaded not guilty to charges they killed the teens in a dispute over missing drugs. Prosecutors said the men herded the teens at gunpoint into an abandoned building and set it ablaze.
Authorities have said Hampton made statements implicating Evans. A hearing will be held this month to determine whether Hampton's statements are admissible.
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