Accused murderer loses bid for reduced bail in "dice game" killing at Franklin ...


SOMERVILLE - A murder suspect lost his bid today for reduced bail on charges he ordered his brother to shoot another man during a dispute over a 'dice game' last month at a Franklin Township hair salon.


Given the seriousness of the alleged crime and his extensive criminal history, Superior Court Judge Robert Reed rejected a motion by Antwan Cromedy, 28, of Bound Brook, to cut his bail in half from $500,000 to $250,000.


The judge also suggested that the possible life sentence made Cromedy a potential flight risk.


Cromedy and his brother, Zaire Cromedy, 21, of New Brunswick, have been charged with murder in the Dec. 29 shooting death of New Brunswick resident Eric Andrews Jr., 28, an aspiring hip-hop artist who performed under the moniker 'E-9.'


The alleged shooting occurred shortly before 6 p.m. at the Nu Trendz Hair Salon on Somerset Street, where Antwan Cromedy is accused of giving a handgun to his brother and telling him to shoot Andrews, court documents state. Andrews was later pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, court documents state.


Antwan Cromedy was arrested at his home around 12:10 p.m. on Dec. 31, and Zaire Cromedy surrendered to detectives hours later, authorities said. Both men are being held in the Somerset County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.


In arguing for the reduced bail, Antwan Cromedy's attorney, Amber Forrester, said he had several ties to the community and claimed that he cooperated with authorities when he was arrested.


'I don't think that he's a flight risk, your honor,' Forrester told Reed, later adding that Cromedy 'certainly understands the seriousness of the charge and he has no intention of going anywhere in the meantime while this is pending. He wants to resolve the matter.'


But Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Hawkes told the judge the $500,000 bail was appropriate and said 'it took a lot of doing to get Mr. Cromedy to come in.' His juvenile record also is 'somewhat atrocious' with various offenses, including sexual assault and possession of a firearm,' Hawkes said.


'This case was over a dice game,' Hawkes said. 'He and his brother killed a man over a bet in a dice game.'


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