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Three indicted for murder in killing of Atlantic City woman


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Five people have been indicted in the killing of an Atlantic City woman who was gunned down in August, including two women who allegedly hindered the investigation.

Two men are jailed and another is still being sought.

Malikah McLaughlin, 26, was walking in the first block of South Bellevue Avenue just after 1 a.m. Aug. 28, when she was gunned down by a man who then fled in a car with two others.

A residence’s Xfinity camera captured the shooting. BreakingAC has not shared the video out of respect for the victim’s loved ones.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office previously announced the arrest of one of the men, Lester Robinson, who was wounded when someone opened fire on the fleeing vehicle.

A second man was arrested in October, BreakingAC previously reported. Quamel Schaffer, 30, of Millville, appeared in court via video from the jail for a detention hearing. He was ultimately held.

The affidavit named the third man along with two women. BreakingAC did not release their names at that time since they had not yet been charged.

But now, Phillip Hayes, Monica Gonzalez and Quataisa Harrington have been indicted by a grand jury, along with Robinson and Schaffer, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday.

Hayes, 35, of Atlantic City, is charged with murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses. There is currently an active warrant for his arrest. BreakingAC has not yet been able to obtain his photo.

Hayes, Schaffer and Robinson each faces an additional charge of certain person not to possess a weapon due to their criminal histories.

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Malikah McLaughlin was fatally gunned down just after 1 a.m. Aug. 28.

Gonzalez, 27, of Atlantic City, and Harrington, 23, of Millville, were indicted on a third-degree charge of hindering apprehension.

The investigation that included witness statements and phone data put all three men together, the affidavit states.

In phone calls heard by an investigator, Schaffer and Hayes direct Harrington and Gonzalez “to delete incriminating evidence from their phones and accounts,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “In later calls, Harrington and Gonzalez acknowledge they deleted the incriminating evidence.”

Both women were charged on summonses and are not jailed.

STEWARTVILLE

JERSEY SHORE WEEKEND

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