PATERSON, NJ – Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora announce that at approximately 6:20 a.m. on Sunday, January 9, 2022, members of the Paterson Police Department were dispatched to 288 12th Avenue in Paterson, New Jersey in response to a report of an injured person. Upon their arrival, officers located a male victim, 39-year-old victim. from Paterson, unresponsive and lying face down on the living room floor of the first-floor apartment with a large laceration to the back of his head.
Paterson Police Officers immediately contacted medical personnel for assistance. The victim was pronounced deceased on the scene at approximately 06:40 a.m. The subsequent investigation revealed that the victim’s roommate, Raymond Menafield, 40- years-old from Paterson, engaged the victim in a dispute and then struck the victim in the head with a rock which led to his death. On January 10, 2022, Menafield was taken into custody at approximately 4:10 p.m., without incident. Menafield is currently charged with Murder, first degree; Possession of a Weapon (Rock) for an Unlawful Purpose, third degree; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Rock), fourth degree.
The crime of Murder has a sentencing range from a minimum of 30 years up to life imprisonment; the crime of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, third degree, has a sentencing range of 3 to 5 years in prison; and the crime of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, forth degree, has a sentencing range up to 18 months in prison. The State has filed a motion for pretrial detention that will be heard by a Superior Court Judge. A criminal complaint is merely a charging document. Despite this criminal complaint, a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.