Ali Muhammad Brown, 30, of Seattle, is on trial on charges of robbing a man at gunpoint on July 10, 2014 in the parking lot of an apartment complex in West Orange
NEWARK -- Over several days in July 2014, Ali Muhammad Brown was captured on surveillance videos using a stolen credit card at various locations in Essex and Union counties.
But an Essex County jury must decide whether Brown obtained the credit card in an armed robbery or if he found it after someone else committed the offense.
Those were the two scenarios presented to jurors during closing statements on Thursday at Brown's trial on charges of robbing a man at gunpoint at about 6 a.m. on July 10, 2014 in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 200 Mount Pleasant Avenue in West Orange. He is facing robbery and weapons offenses.
Brown, 30, of Seattle - who is charged in a separate case with fatally shooting Livingston resident Brendan Tevlin last year - has chosen to not attend the robbery trial. He remains in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5 million bail.
Brown's attorney, Albert Kapin, on Thursday told jurors that while Brown later used the credit card to purchase about $150 worth of Chinese food, clothing and other items, he found it after another person committed the robbery and discarded the credit card, among other items.
Kapin noted how the robber was wearing a mask during the incident, and Kapin claimed the victim only gave a "pretty generic description" of the assailant. He also took aim at the police investigation and cited an "absence of evidence" in the case, such as fingerprints and other forensic evidence.
"They basically rushed to judgment," said Kapin, referring to the police charging Brown with the robbery. "They decided this guy is the guy."
But Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper told the jury there was "overwhelming evidence" that Brown committed the robbery.
Semper noted how, when police located Brown on July 18, 2014 in a nearby makeshift campsite, officers found him with various items, such as the handgun, the clothing used to mask his face and the victim's wallet, including his driver's license.
Semper also argued the victim's descriptions of the robber and the weapon match Brown and the gun that was recovered.
"I'm not asking you to take a leap of faith here. I'm asking you to apply the law to these facts, apply the law to the evidence," Semper told the jurors. "There's no mystery man here, just Ali Brown. Hold him accountable."
The jury is expected to begin deliberations on Tuesday aftey they receive instructions on the law from Superior Court Judge Michael Petrolle.
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The robbery allegedly occurred about two weeks after Brown gunned down Tevlin, 19, when Brown and at least three other men attempted to rob Tevlin on June 25, 2014 at a traffic light at Walker Road and Northfield Avenue in West Orange, authorities said.
While the other men fled the scene, Brown moved Tevlin's body into the passenger seat of Tevlin's Jeep Liberty and drove it to a nearby apartment building, where he abandoned it, authorities said.
Brown has told investigators he killed Tevlin as an act of "vengeance" for innocent lives lost in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran. He also is charged with killing three men in Washington State.
In the Tevlin case, Brown was indicted in July on terrorism, murder and related charges. Brown also is charged with robbing a man on June 29, 2014 at a coffee shop in Point Pleasant Beach.
Ali Muhammad Brown, 30, of Seattle, appears for his arraignment before Superior Court Judge Michael Petrolle in connection with a July 10, 2014 robbery in West Orange. That incident occurred about two weeks after Brown allegedly gunned down Livingston teen Brendan Tevlin. Newark, NJ 2/9/15 (Robert Sciarrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) During the robbery trial, the victim testified he had opened a passenger side door of his vehicle to put items inside before heading to work, and he heard a voice from behind him say, "Hey, you know what this is."
When the victim turned around, he said he saw a masked man standing in the adjacent forested area and pointing a gun at him. After the robber ordered him to lay on his stomach on the ground, the assailant jammed the gun into the victim's back and stole his wallet, the victim said.
While pointing a handgun at the man, the robber then ordered the victim to get inside the trunk of the man's vehicle before he fled the scene, according to the victim.
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During his closing statement, Kapin noted how the victim said the robber entered the man's vehicle, but that police did not check the interior of the car for fingerprints or other forensic evidence.
Kapin also pointed out how an iPhone and a tablet allegedly stolen in the robbery were not later found with Brown. He challenged the state's theory that Brown committed the robbery while covering his face and then remained living in the nearby forested area.
"Does that make any sense?" Kapin asked.
But Semper argued Brown's journal was found at the campsite, which included an entry about opening an iPhone. "Why didn't the police find that phone? Ali Brown did something with that phone," Semper said.
As for Brown remaining near the scene of the robbery, Semper said the victim and police both expected the robber to flee the area.
But Brown was "hiding in plain sight, going against conventional wisdom," Semper said.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.