Newark, NJ, Fugitive in murder case arrested in Maryland

Star Ledger ^ | 11.03.05 | BARRY CARTER

[Coleus]

A Newark gang member wanted on murder and drug distribution charges was arrested yesterday in Maryland by a team of law enforcement agencies led by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Rakeem Baskerville, a member of the notorious ET-Hak gang, had been a fugitive from Newark since March and had been added to the U.S. Marshals Service "15 Most Wanted" list, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Schroeder.

After months of looking for Baskerville, 31, Schroeder said the fugitive investigation led authorities to an apartment complex in Edgewood, Md., at 8 a.m. yesterday.

He said the complex was surrounded by U.S. marshals from New Jersey and Maryland, officers from the Baltimore and Newark police departments, Essex County Prosecutor investigators and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration.

When Baskerville refused to open the door, Schroeder said the team of officers broke it down and arrested him. A female in the apartment was questioned and released.

Baskerville was wanted for his role in killing of a prosecution witness during a drive-by shooting in Newark on March 1, 2004. Newark police believe he was the triggerman.

Assistant Essex County Prosecutor Judy Gagliano said Baskerville was charged with the murder of Derrick Berrian, who was a witness in a homicide case against Alquan Loyal.

She said Loyal was charged in the death of Malik Ali Cooke, but the charges were dismissed after Berrian's died and another witness recanted her identification story of Loyal.

Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow said the killing of a state witness is a "heinous act, one that strikes at the core of our criminal justice system," and her office is gratified that Baskerville is no longer at large.

In federal court, a grand jury indicted Baskerville and other gang members on drug charges handed down by the DEA.