GUILTY NJ - James Dewyer, 68, fatally shot, Mansfield, 3 Jan 2016

James Dewyer often tried to help drug addicts by driving them to doctor's appointments and other places they needed to be, his former wife, Judi Richter, said.

She said Dewyer was drawn to addicts - though not using drugs himself, she believes - because he was lonely. She and Dewyer had been separated for nearly 10 years, Richter said, but stayed in touch.
But in the last year, Richter said, Dewyer had isolated himself from her and his grown daughter, Vonnie. He was also living in motels.


So when Dewyer was found shot to death in a car Sunday in Burlington County, Richter, 66, said she was saddened, but not stunned.
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Much of his money went toward driving addicts, including a waitress he met at a diner, to various places for help, she said. But they sometimes used him for his money and car, she said.


"He was hanging out with a lot of druggies," said Richter, who now lives in Woodbury. "And they took advantage of him more than once."

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A Belleville man has been charged with fatally shooting a man earlier this year in Mansfield Township, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Mansfield Township Police Chief Ronald Mulhall announced on Monday.

Quinnizel J. Clark, 34, was charged with one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose in the Jan. 3 death of 68-year-old James Dewyer.

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Dewyer was receiving $4,000 per month in pension, and Clark was interested in that money, Van Gilst argued. He said a witness heard the two arguing about money that Clark owed Dewyer.

"Quinnizel Clark was using him for his money," Van Gilst said, adding that people usually "distance" themselves when they find out they are being used.

"James Dewyer never got that chance."

A receipt for a $1,050 loan from Dewyer to Clark was found in the glove box of the car, according to the state.

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In her opening argument, Clark's attorney, Jennifer Gottschalk, said that her client maintains his innocence and that the state's case is "entirely circumstantial."

"There is no direct evidence connecting Mr. Clark to the death of James Dewyer," Gottschalk argued. "There is no eyewitness in this case. There is no gun (recovered) in this case. There is no DNA evidence that connects Mr. Clark to the death of James Dewyer."

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Jurors watched video footage Thursday from a casino of Quinnizel Clark and James Dewyer together, hours before Dewyer was found shot to death in his car in Mansfield on Jan. 3, 2016.

On the second day of testimony, a woman who lived at the time at the River Front Motel on Route 130 in Mansfield and knew the men said she heard them get into a heated argument about money about two weeks before Dewyer was killed.

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Jurors also watched video surveillance footage from the motel that day and heard testimony from Detective Sgt. Dave Kohler of the Prosecutor's Office, who said his analysis revealed that the footage was actually time-stamped about 1 hour and 43 minutes ahead of what it really was.

The state contends that the footage shows Clark loading some items into Dewyer's vehicle and driving away with him about 1:34 p.m. He is seen returning to the hotel about 3:28 p.m. from Route 130.

The two hours that Clark was gone are essential to the state's case because that is when they allege he fatally shot Dewyer.

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During the interrogation, Clark told investigators that Dewyer had dropped him off in the Roebling section of Florence because “he had to do something.”

When Clark would not provide the name of the person he was with, to corroborate his whereabouts during those two hours, the exchange with investigators got more heated. Eventually, Clark asked that his attorney be called and told the investigators to “charge” him and take the matter to court.

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Hauger testified that his analysis of records of Clark's cellphone records from about 2 to 4 p.m. that day suggested he was in the general vicinity of the crime scene, not in the Roebling section of Florence, as Clark claims. Clark told investigators Dewyer had dropped him off in that area after they left the River Front Motel on Route 130 in Mansfield about 1:34 p.m.

Hauger also testified that he could not precisely identify where the phone was during that time. During cross-examination from Clark's attorney, Jennifer Gottschalk, he said there was a slight possibility that the phone could have been left at the motel, but that it was not likely.

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In its closing, the state continued to contend that Clark was a "user" and "manipulator" and was "friends" with Dewyer only for his money and to use his car.

"He's a murderer," Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Van Gilst told jurors. "He killed James Dewyer."

Defense attorney Jennifer Gottschalk compared the state's case to a "Hollywood-like spectacular," meant to distract from the lack of evidence. She argued that there were "glaring deficiencies" in the state's case, including the lack of an eyewitness and of DNA evidence connecting Clark to the alleged crime, and the fact that the gun was not recovered.

The jury deliberated for about 2½ hours without reaching a verdict. Deliberations will continue Wednesday.

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After three days of deliberations, a jury found a man guilty of murder and weapons offenses for the fatal shooting of a 68-year-old man found dead in his car in a wooded area of Mansfield last year.

Quinnizel Clark, 35, of Belleville, Essex County, was found guilty of murder and weapons offenses in the Jan. 3, 2016, shooting of James DeWyer, and now faces the possibility of 30 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 14 by Superior Court Judge Charles Delehey at the Burlington County Courthouse in Mount Holly.

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DeWyer’s daughter, Yvonne, who lives in Texas and was in court throughout the trial, was relieved after the jury returned its decision.

“I’ve never prayed so hard for anything in my life,” Yvonne DeWyer said. “I’m glad that the man who made my father think he was his friend and did nothing but betray and kill him will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

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Quinnizel Clark, of Belleville, in Essex County, was sentenced Thursday in Burlington County Superior Court. He must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole, or 66 years and nine months, according to the prosecutor's office.

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Yvonne DeWyer, who lives in Texas and was in court for the trial, wept as she told the judge how her father’s death has impacted her family. Her sons are “sensitive” about his death and will now miss out on more memories with their granddad.

She said that she feels “guilt” over her father’s death as they were estranged and had argued the last time they spoke.

“What if I had answered one of his phone calls?,” DeWyer said. “Could I have stopped this?”

Clark robbed her of any chance to mend things with him, she said.

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