Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Police Locate Third Suspect Charged With Murder In Union County Robbery Gone Awry

The suspect turned himself in, becoming the last suspect to be charged in connection with the Union County murder of a Brooklyn man.

Police have charged a third suspect has been charged with the death of a Brooklyn man who was killed in September in an attempted robbery gone awry in Union County.

Travis M. Picou, 36, of Paterson, turned himself in to members of the Union County Homicide Task Force on Friday. Charged with the death of Mamuka Chamiashvili, 41, of Brooklyn, Picou’s bail was set at $2 million by state Superior Court Judge William A. Daniel, Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park reports.

The arrest occurred less than a week after a Union County grand jury returned indictments against the two other men charged in the case. Ali Garner, 28, and Keon Lewis, 30, both of Elizabeth, were indicted last week.

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All three suspects are charged with first-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery, and lesser-related charges.

A Robbery Gone Wrong

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The victim had travelled to Elizabeth on Sept. 16 to respond to a craigslist posting advertising a Mercedes-Benz SUV for sale, Union County Assistant Prosecutor Bruce Holmes stated.

After test-driving the vehicle, men later identified as Garner and Lewis allegedly approached the victim and gunshots rang out, Holmes said.

Elizabeth Police responded to the area of Jacques and East Jersey streets in Elizabeth where Chamiashvili was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office:

Lewis was charged in October 2014 following a weeklong effort by the Prosecutor’s Office, the Elizabeth Police Department, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office to locate and arrest him.

Garner was arrested by members of the Union County Homicide Task Force the week before.

Bail for Lewis and Garner was set at $2 million apiece by state Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield and state Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Donohue, respectively.

If convicted, all three suspects could each face a sentence of 30 years to life in state prison.

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