Two Atlantic County men will spend the rest of their lives in prison in the killing of three people in Essex County.
Jimmy Mays, 35, of Egg Harbor Township, and Lavelle Davis, 37, of Galloway Township, went to Michael Davis’ Maplewood home looking for drugs and money in Jan. 29, 2017.
The two ransacked the home, killed Michael Davis and a woman as they slept, and then tortured another man before killing him as well.
Mays was sentenced to 153 years in prison — 51 years consecutively for each killing. Lavelle Davis — who is not related to his victim — was sentenced to three consecutive 46-year sentences, for a total of 138 years in prison.
Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Carlo Fioranelli urged the judge to impose consecutive life sentences for each of the three murders, saying it was warranted given the facts of the case.
Superior Court Judge Richard Sules agreed.
Mays and Michael Davis were good friends, according to the mother of the victim’s children.
“Michael gave him $1,000 so James could buy his kids Christmas presents,” she told BreakingAC after the arrests. “I had to ask the prosecutor, ‘Do you have enough evidence to place them at the scene?’ That right there was heartbreaking.”
Michael Davis, 38, and Roshan Kelson, 30, of Paterson, were asleep when they were shot dead.
Davis’ best friend was found dead in the basement, where he was tortured before being fatally shot.
The victims were found when Maplewood firefighters were sent to do a wellness check after concerned family members were unable to reach them.
Both men were convicted by an Essex County jury of conspiracy, murder, felony murder, burglary, robbery, criminal restraint and multiple weapons offenses.
Lavelle Davis had previous assault convictions. Mays’ criminal history included weapons possession and bail jumping.
“No punishment will ever compensate the Kelson, Frasier and Davis families for their tragic losses, Fioranelli said. “I hope the sentence imposed today gives the families some sense of justice in this horrific situation and that the families continue to heal following the heartbreaking and untimely loss of loved ones.”
