Ernest Williams Jr., 24, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter, robbery and related offenses in connection with the July 22, 2012 killing of Brian Schiavetti
NEWARK -- A Montclair man was convicted Monday of robbing and fatally shooting another man in 2012 after leading him into a township apartment building to buy drugs.
Ernest Williams Jr., 24, was found guilty of aggravated manslaughter, robbery and related offenses in connection with the July 22, 2012 killing of Brian Schiavetti. Williams was acquitted of a murder charge.
"I'm thankful to the jury for the verdict that they returned and it was the right verdict," Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Naazneen Khan, who tried the case, later said in a phone interview.
Williams's attorney, Sterling Kinsale, could not be reached for comment.
In addition to aggravated manslaughter and robbery, Williams also was convicted of felony murder, weapons offenses and conspiracy to distribute drugs. The jury began its deliberations on Wednesday.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14 before Superior Court Judge Carolyn Wright.
With the guilty verdict, the jury rejected the claims made by Williams that Schiavetti, 21, produced the handgun and that Williams was acting in self-defense. Williams claimed Schiavetti was killed when the two men wrestled over the weapon and the gun went off.
Khan said jurors likely based their decision on the totality of evidence, but she noted that the fatal gunshot wound to the back of Schiavetti's head "spoke for itself."
MORE: Self-defense or execution? Jury to decide in Montclair drug deal killing
The incident occurred after Schiavetti and his friend, Connor Gore, made the roughly 90-minute trip from their hometown of Ridgefield, Conn. to purchase oxycodone pills from Williams.
Schiavetti was put in touch with Williams that day through Williams's co-defendant, James Pitts, who is the son of Essex County Undersheriff James Pitts. Pitts pleaded guilty last year to a drug charge and is expected to be sentenced to 364 days in jail.
Pitts met Schiavetti as a fellow student at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and Pitts and Williams were neighbors in Montclair, according to Khan. After Williams contacted Pitts about selling the drugs, Pitts connected him to Schiavetti, Khan said.
Gore testified he and Schiavetti were hanging out with three other friends in Ridgefield when Schiavetti and Williams made arrangements to purchase the pills. The group then pooled together $900, and Schiavetti and Gore drove to Montclair to meet Williams, Gore said.
When Gore and Schiavetti met Williams on the street, Williams got in the back seat of Gore's vehicle and directed them to the building at 25 Williams Street, where Williams claimed the pills were located, Gore said.
Soon after Williams led Schiavetti into the building, Gore said he heard two gun shots. After calling Schiavetti's cell phone and getting no answer, Gore said he drove off.
Gore said he called 911 and the operator indicated police were already responding to the scene. Gore said he ultimately called his parents, and they picked him up in a parking lot at Montclair State University.
"I was hysterical, afraid for my life," Gore testified.
Schiavetti was later discovered in the hallway of the building with a trail of blood stretching from the back of his head and a chain resting in his hand, including a cross and a medallion his mother had given him.
During Williams's testimony, Williams said he later threw away the gun, along with his bloody T-shirt, because the weapon had his fingerprints. Williams ultimately surrendered to police.
"I was scared," Williams said.
But Khan has claimed Williams never had any drugs that day and said the incident was a "setup" to steal money from Schiavetti.
During closing statements last week, Khan noted how Pitts and Williams's cousin, Reyanna Williams, testified during the trial that Williams had confessed to them that he brought the handgun and tried to rob Schiavetti and, when Schiavetti tried to grab the gun, Williams fatally shot him.
Noting the gun shot to the back of Schiavetti's head, Khan told jurors Williams shot him as he was running away.
"This was not a tussle," Khan said. "This was an execution."
But Kinsale told the jury Schiavetti brandished the weapon and that he and Williams then engaged in "a life and death struggle." He suggested Schiavetti's injuries were consistent with the struggle described by Williams.
Kinsale also argued detectives coerced the cousin into telling the story about Williams's alleged confession. He also claimed Pitts was "totally biased" and only gave a statement after his plea deal was in place.
"Don't put it beyond these guys to bring a gun for protection, even if it's just to have it," said Kinsale, referring to Gore and Schiavetti, adding that "it's not beyond believability."
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.