NJ Couple Murdered

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 Written by Empress Magazine /// Find in The Wrap Up

This story breaks my heart. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I first read about it. This young couple was brutally murdered in Jersey City just after announcing their engagement. Read More Below

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Today, family and friends continued to mourn Nia Haqq, 25, and Michael Muchioki, 27, longtime sweethearts who were recently engaged and who were found shot to death on a Jersey City street early Sunday after what the authorities said was a botched carjacking.

Even as investigators continued to pursue leads, the couple’s families made arrangements to bury them — side by side.

"They were meant to be together," Haqq’s mother, Majeeda Haqq, 47, said of the couple, who planned to get married next year in Aruba. "It’s like one never made a move without the other one."

Authorities said Haqq and Muchioki were returning to their Randolph Avenue apartment in Jersey City at around 3 a.m. Sunday after a night of celebrating their engagement with friends and family when a man and two women approached the couple as they got out of Haqq’s Honda CR-V.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said the couple were each shot in the back of the head. The suspects tried to flee in the CR-V, but were unable to because of an anti-theft device, he said. Instead, they left in a gold Pontiac Grand Am possibly driven by a fourth suspect, a man, DeFazio said.

The suspects took Haqq’s engagement ring, Muchioki’s wallet, the couples’ cell phones and gift cards they had received at the engagement party, authorities said.

DeFazio said witnesses have told investigators the suspects may have been casing the area for an hour or two before Haqq and Muchioki arrived.

"It looks like this was a crime of opportunity where robbery and carjacking was the motive," DeFazio said. "This was a cold-blooded murder."

Muchioki’s mother, Sandra said she cannot understand why someone would shoot the pair.

"You shot them in the head for nothing but a car," she said as she rearranged flowers pots at memorial set up for the couple at the crime scene. "These people shouldn’t be on the street."

Majeeda Haqq said she believes the killings may have been a crime of passion committed by someone who may have known the couple and was jealous of their upcoming nuptials.

But DeFazio said it does not appear the victims knew their attackers, and there is no indication of a physical altercation.

"This is a stranger on stranger crime," he said, adding that investigators — who are reviewing surveillance video from the area — are not ruling out any possibilities.

The pair met through Greek life at their colleges — Muchioki at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Haqq at the College of New Jersey. Muchioki was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; Haqq was involved with the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority but was not a member.

The couple will have separate funeral services. Haqq’s services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Firdous Funeral Chapel, 579 Grover St., Irvington while Muchioki’s services will be held at noon Friday at Momentual Church, 121 Lafayette St., Jersey City. They will be buried together at Rosedale & Rosehill Cemetery in Linden.

DeFazio said anyone with information about the killings can contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at (201) 915-1345 -   NJ.com

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Why would anyone do something like this, what a senseless killing, all for what? This could have been anyone, your friend, son or daughter. I hope they catch the cold blooded murderers that did this.

* Updated -Police arrested Darmelia Lawrence and Latonia Bellamy on charges of murder and armed robbery. Both suspects are 19-years-old and natives of Jersey City. A third suspect was arrested, but not identified.