After a tense police chase through Newark more than five years earlier, a former New Jersey police officer fatally shot a black man.
In June 2023, a jury convicted Jovanny Crespo, a Hispanic, on felony charges of aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault, along with two counts of official misconduct related to Gregory Griffin’s death on January 28, 2019.
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It’s unclear why the punishment took a full year to complete in such a clear-cut case of fatal wrongdoing that resulted in a guilty conviction about 12 months ago.
The judge identified the cops’ “shoot first, ask questions later” approach as the cause of the police shooting, according to NJ.com.
After another officer allegedly drove Griffin, a father of four children, away from a traffic stop, a high-speed game of cat and mouse ensued for several miles. Crespo joined the chase as a backup unit and fired indiscriminately at Griffin’s car at three different locations before killing him.
Despite suffering critical injuries, Griffin’s passenger, Andrew Dixon, 35, managed to survive. He died of unrelated causes, prosecutors said.
When questioned after the killing, Crespo claimed to have spotted guns in Griffin’s car, but other police said they couldn’t see inside because of the thick tinted windows.
The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund covered Crespo’s legal fees.
During the trial, Crespo’s defense contended that the shot was justifiable, while prosecutors described Crespo’s conduct as excessive force, claiming that Griffin was killed as a result of the officer’s extreme negligence.
The night of the deadly chase, the officer pulled Griffin over for speeding and noticed he was carrying a gun, later identified as a loaded, semi-automatic revolver.
Griffin then put the car in gear and fled, with the officer pursuing.
Later, bodycam evidence emerged showing Crespo firing his revolver at the suspect’s car multiple times at three different places, eventually murdering Griffin for what began as a minor speeding violation.
On May 21, 2019, Crespo received an indictment following a four-month inquiry that determined his conduct to be “criminal.”
There is no evidence that Griffin ever returned fire or rolled down his windows throughout the chase, prompting prosecutors to decide Crespo’s gunshot was unnecessary.
Crespo testified in his own defense during the trial, claiming to have seen a gun pointed at him.
“I stopped a threat,” he stated on the witness stand, according to CBS News New York.
However, prosecutors pointed out that Crespo’s police report did not specify any immediate risk, simply describing the threat as a fast-moving automobile.
During closing arguments, defense counsel Patrick Toscano informed the jury that Crespo’s acts were “not even close to official misconduct.”
“This law enforcement officer saved lives that night—end of story,” he said.
However, in his own closing address, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Alex Albu argued that the defendant’s use of deadly force was not justifiable because the suspect fled.
Following Crespo’s conviction, his mother, Aida Crespo, delivered a heartfelt speech in open court, begging the judge for mercy and saying that a lengthy sentence would be terrible for her son and their entire family.
Despite her heartfelt pleas, the judge ordered Crespo away for nearly three decades.
With good behavior, he may be released from prison in 23 years, which would save him five years.
