Suspect Arrested in Murder of Hershy Schwartz, Z”l

By Reuvain Borchardt

Police have arrested a suspect in the February murder of Hershy Schwartz, z”l, in an apparent carjacking in North Miami Beach, just days before he was to be married.

Schwartz, 40, was found fatally shot outside his vehicle in the parking lot of a North Miami Beach restaurant on the morning of Sunday, February 19, with his vehicle ransacked.

He had been shot once in the car, and, following an apparent struggle, shot multiple times outside the car.

Schwartz was to be married less than two weeks later to Rosie Brustowsky of Lakewood, daughter of noted educator Rabbi Aaron Brustowsky.

On Wednesday night, May 17, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals arrested Louis Antuwn Redmon, 23, who had been in the process of relocating to North Miami Beach at the time of the murder, but apparently then went back to Jacksonville.

He was charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, armed carjacking and weapons possession by a convicted felon. He is being held without bail.

“Our detectives believe Redmon targeted Mr. Hershy Schwartz to steal his car,” North Miami Beach Police Chief Harvette Smith said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “Fingerprint evidence and ballistic evidence is what linked Redmon to this crime. In addition, it was good, old-fashioned detective work. We located witnesses who provided information that only we knew, that further bolstered our case against Redmon.”

Redmon has in the past pleaded guilty to felony charges of grand theft, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and aggravated fleeing a police officer; as well as misdemeanors including possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, and driving without a license. He was sentenced in June 2019 to a 96-day jail term; and the following January to three years in prison.

Schwartz was a volunteer with the Chesed Shel Emes organization. Mark Rosenberg, director of Chesed Shel Emes in Florida, told Hamodia that “Hershy’s purpose in life was to save and help others.”

Rosenberg, who also serves as chaplain to multiple police departments, said, “We are extremely thankful to all the departments – the North Miami Beach Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals and especially the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s office — who have worked relentlessly to apprehend the person allegedly responsible for killing Hershy.”

At the press conference Thursday, Rosenberg said Hershy was so kind that he “would take a bullet for someone.” Rosie Brustowsky, who spoke immediately after Rosenberg, said that Hershy had actually told her that very line just a week before he was shot.

Smith said that “it has been our top priority since the call came in many months ago, to bring closure to this family,” and Rosie Brustowsky, and Hershy’s brother Yoeli who spoke via Zoom, thanked Rosenberg and the police departments for their efforts in the case.

“May this justice and closure bring [Hershy] rest,” Yoeli said. “He should rest in peace.”

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rborchardt@hamodia.com