It has been nearly two years since the home of former Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins was the scene of an alleged killing and his brother was charged.
Now, it’s happened again to a local NFL star.
On Monday, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office announced that Haseez Brown, 33, the brother of former Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and weapons charges.
Brown is the older brother of Wilkerson, Linden Mayor Derek Armstead said Monday.
Prosecutors said Brown fired multiple shots into a vehicle outside his brother’s Bridgewater residence and struck the driver, Roobino Philemon, of West Orange.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Philemon attempted to go to a birthday party at the residence, but was told to leave. As Philemon was sitting in the car, authorities said Brown walked up toward the rear of the vehicle and allegedly fired multiple rounds into the vehicle, striking Philemon once.
This incident comes nearly two years since Jenkins’ brother was involved with a fatal incident at the home the former Giants cornerback’s rented Bergen County.
On June 26, 2018, William H. Jenkins, his brother, was charged with aggravated manslaughter when Roosevelt Rene, a music producer nicknamed “Trypps Beatz”, was found dead at Jenkins’ home.
Police officers found Rene’s body, after receiving a report of “suspicious conditions” at Jenkins’ home.
Rene and Jenkins’ brother had been living in the home while Janoris Jenkins was in Florida.
The homeowners eventually sued Janoris Jenkins for $700,000, claiming the crime devalued their property and that Jenkins and his brother did roughly $300,000 in physical damage to the residence.
Janoris Jenkins had a two-year lease for $66,000 a year or $5,500 a month that expired May 31, 2018, according to court documents cited by NorthJersey.com. He wanted to extend the lease at the time of the alleged killing, the documents said.
Jenkins spent the following two seasons with the Giants before he was released in December. He signed with the New Orleans Saints.
Wilkerson has been out of the NFL since 2018, when he played one season for the Green Bay Packers. He spent seven years before that with the Jets and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015, when he accumulated a career-best 12 sacks.
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Follow Matt Lombardo on Twitter and Instagram at @MattLombardoNFL.