Guilty Verdict for Man Involved in Execution-Style Killings in New Jersey

Many of you will remember a horrifying crime that took place four years ago at a schoolyard in Newark, New Jersey. Three friends, all either preparing to attend Delaware State University or already students at that school, were shot execution-style that summer while kneeling in front of a wall. A fourth victim survived her gunshot wound and her testimony proved critical in the conviction that was reached in a courtroom earlier this week.

Alexander Alfaro was found guilty on three counts each of murder and felony murder, four counts of robbery, two counts of conspiracy, and four weapons counts. It is unlikely that he will ever see another day outside the walls of a prison. Two other men, including Alfaro's half-brother, are already spending life in prison for their roles in the killings and three more defendants are still waiting for their trials.

The murders of these young people made national headlines and raised several important questions with which we are still struggling today. In terms of forensic psychology, the issues are particularly difficult. What compels someone to shoot a fellow human being, one who is completely defenseless, with the single intention of ending his or her life? What roles do peer pressure and the group dynamics dominant in gangs (the men who participated in the murders were members of the much-feared MS-13 street gang) play in a person's willingness to commit violence? There is also the troubling fact that three of the six defendants, including Alfaro, were juveniles at the time of the murders.

I am thankful that with each conviction of the six men who were present and engaged in one degree or another in this senseless violence, the family members of the slain teenagers perhaps reach some sense of closure and justice for their loved ones.