Court Won’t Overturn Lakewood Cop Killer’s Conviction

A state appellate court on Wednesday upheld the murder conviction of a man serving a life sentence for the 2011 killing of a Lakewood police officer shot in his cruiser.

A public defender representing Jahmell Crockam had argued the jury that convicted him was tainted by testimony about Crockam’s warrants and comments he made about vowing to kill an officer.

But the appellate panel rejected those arguments. They said the comments are “clearly evidence of his state of mind” when the shooting occurred, while the warrants established Crockam’s motive for shooting Patrolman Christopher Matlosz, 27.

Crockam walked up to the officer’s cruiser in January 2011 and shot him three times at point blank range. The incident shook up Lakewood, and the Roshei Yeshivah of Beis Medrash Govoha visited the stationhouse.