28-Year Old Jersey City Man Gets 35 Years for 2018 Murder

JERSEY CITY MAN SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS IN NEW STREET HOMICIDE

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

On Thursday, August 5, 2021, the Honorable Patrick J. Arre, J.S.C. sentenced Michael Weathersbee, 28, of Jersey City, to 35 years in New Jersey State Prison for the murder of Laquan Clark on September 23, 2018 in Jersey City. Judge Arre sentenced Weathersbee to a term of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison with a 30 year period of parole ineligibility in addition to being subject to No Early Release Act (NERA) on the defendant’s conviction for first-degree Murder.

Judge Arre also imposed a consecutive term of five years in New Jersey State Prison with a five-year period of parole ineligibility on the defendant’s conviction for second-degree Certain Persons Not to Have a Weapon. The Court merged the defendant’s conviction for second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose with the Murder conviction and imposed a concurrent 10 year New Jersey State Prison sentence on the conviction for second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.

On February 10, 2020, Weathersbee was found guilty by a Hudson County Jury following an approximately two week trial of Murder in violation of N.J.S. 2C:11-3, a first-degree crime; Possession of a Weapon (Firearm) for an Unlawful Purpose in violation of N.J.S. 2C:39-4, a second-degree crime; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Firearm) in violation of N.J.S. 2C:39-5, a second-degree crime; and Certain Persons Not to Possess a Weapon (Firearm) in violation of N.J.S. 2C:39-7, a second-degree crime.

On Sunday, September 23, 2018, at approximately 2:10 a.m., the Jersey City Police Department received a report of a male shot in the area of New Street in Jersey City. Upon arrival, Jersey City Police Officers found a male sitting in a car in the area of 14 New Street with apparent multiple gunshot wounds. The victim, later identified as Laquan Clark, age 33, of Jersey City, was transported by Emergency Medical Services to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at approximately 2:40 a.m.

The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds to the torso and head, and the manner of death to be homicide. Michael Weathersbee was charged and arrested by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit for the murder on September 26, 2018 and indicted by a Grand Jury on December 19, 2018. The State is represented in this case by Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Baginski of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit.