Todd West, of Elizabeth, faces several counts of murder and numerous weapons charges in connection with a string of shootings in his hometown and in Pennsylvania over the last several weeks. Brian Thompson reports.
A hearing for a man man accused of killing seven people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania over a seven-week period has been postponed.
Twenty-two-year-old Todd West and two co-defendants were supposed to have a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on homicide and robbery counts.
There was no immediate word on why it was postponed. No new hearing date has been scheduled.
Police have said West confessed to the July 5 shooting deaths of a man and a woman in Allentown.
West, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is accused of shooting three people to death in Elizabeth over the course of several hours June 25 and injuring another. Jamil Payne, Kevin Nelson and Dennis Vega were killed. In each case, the gunman approached in a white car, shot the victim several times and then left, Park said.
West is also accused of fatally shooting his cousin, Michael Thompson, on May 18.
West headed to Pennsylvania as authorities closed in on him, authorities said, allegedly killing two men in Allentown on Sunday and one in Easton on Monday. Pennsylvania authorities say those shootings appear to be random. West was arrested after the Pennsylvania shooting spree.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
After West's arrest, Union County Prosecutor Grace Park called the killings "horrific and unprecedented."
Authorities say West knew several of his alleged victims and may have some gang affiliations. The violence isn’t thought to have been motivated by gang rivalries or drugs, authorities said.
