Kazmeck Hollingsworth, a.k.a., Darnel Drayton, 40, of Camden was convicted yesterday afternoon by a Camden County jury of second- and third-degree aggravated assault charges, as well as second-degree charges of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon as a convicted felon. The verdict followed a two-week trial before Superior Court Judge Frederick J. Schuck. Hollingsworth was acquitted of a charge of attempted murder. The jury deliberated for two hours before returning its verdict.

Deputy Attorney General Kristen Harberg tried the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.

Hollingsworth was convicted of shooting a man in the 3200 block of Westfield Avenue in Camden on June 28, 2009. The victim, a relative of Hollingsworth, survived the shooting. Hollingsworth shot the victim because the victim previously had confronted another relative of Hollingsworth over how that relative had treated a female cousin of the victim. Hollingsworth pointed the gun at the victim’s head and shot the victim multiple times in the torso and arm. The victim was 34 at the time. At trial, the victim denied that Hollingsworth shot him, but the jury, by its verdict, determined that he did.

Hollingsworth faces a mandatory extended term of 10 to 20 years in state prison on the aggravated assault charge because he has prior convictions involving weapons under New Jersey’s Graves Act. He must serve 85 percent of the term imposed for that charge. He also could potentially face a consecutive sentence on the charge of possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, which carries a mandatory five-year term of parole ineligibility.

The shooting investigation was led by Detective Gabe Rodriguez of the Camden City Police Department; Senior Investigator William Gonzalez of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office; Officer Craig Milbury, Detective Julio Rodriguez, Detective Robert Perkins and Detective Neil Long of the Camden Police Department; and Senior Investigator Steven Settles of the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Deputy Attorney General Harberg was assisted at trial by Analyst Terri Drumm of the Division of Criminal Justice; Sgt. William Townsend and Investigator Carlos Plaza of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; Investigators Paul Audino, Jeff Dunlap, and Gary McBride of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; and Carmen Castillo and Kathi Whitman of the Victim Witness Unit at the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

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