WEST ORANGE — Two out-of-state men have been arrested and charged with bringing another man to New Jersey and killing him, but if authorities have any idea why the victim was murdered, they did not say so in a statement on Wednesday.
The Essex County District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s Offices announced the arrest of Michael Verdel, 71, of the Bronx, and Posley Sulaiman, 31, of Detroit, charged with first-degree murder, murder, conspiracy and robbery, and unlawful acts in the second degree. possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the March 4 death of Kelsey Steels, 31, of the Bronx.
Investigators say Verdel and Sulaiman met Steels at Verdel’s apartment, then transported him to New Jersey and shot him on a hiking trail at Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange.
No motive for the murder has been revealed. New Jersey 101.5 has submitted a request for an affidavit of probable cause in the case.
Sulaiman was scheduled to appear in New York court on Wednesday, the district attorney’s office said, on a firearms charge for which he was held at Rikers Island between March 4 and today.
Verdel, nicknamed “The Rabbi” by those who know him according to the prosecution, was taken into custody in New York and extradited to New Jersey, where a detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Anyone with potential information about the ongoing investigation is asked to call the Essex County District Attorney’s Office at 1-877-TIPS-4EC (847-7432).
Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at [email protected]
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