The lead prosecutor in the "nanny cam" case said the conviction showed the value of police and the public working together. Watch video
NEWARK -- Throughout the "nanny cam" trial, the lead prosecutor said the suspect arrested for severely beating a man in her home was caught because investigators got help from people in the community.
When the trial ended Wednesday with the defendant Shawn Custis being convicted of the beating, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper again pointed to the value of the public's support in the case.
"Law enforcement works hard but we can't be everywhere. We don't know everybody," Semper said. "In this instance, we had some women, some people from the community step up and say something. They helped us a great deal and we are grateful for that," he said.
During the trial, four women, two of them former girlfriends of Custis, testified and identified him as the man seen on the home security "nanny cam" that recorded the attack on the victim in her Millburn home on June 21, 2013.
Authorities said Custis broke into the home, discovered the woman and punched and kicked her, then threw her down the basement stairs while her 3-year-old daughter sat on a couch nearby and her 18-month old son was sleeping upstairs.
Days after the incident, police released the video of the attack, and received more than 20 tips about possible suspects, including calls from the four women.
In his summation, Semper told jurors of the women's courage to speak up, even saying one of the witnesses came from a community where people don't call police.
"This is just another example of what happens when the community works in hand with law enforcement," Semper said after the guilty verdicts were announced.
"As we said during the trial, crimes don't get solved without the help of the community, and we are able to make the community better as a whole," Semper said.
He said the verdicts brought a bit of closure to the victim, who sat in the courtroom weeping, her husband by her side, as the jury pronounced Custis guilty.
"I think if I could characterized her reaction it would be relief," Semper said. "She thanked all the law enforcement officials involved, and said she was very pleased with the outcome," he said.
He said Custis stole the victim's wedding ring and other jewelry, none of which has been recovered.
Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.