Dustin and Jamie Schare Friedland (File Photo)
Two of the three men accused in the killing of Toms River native Dustin Friedland during a 2013 robbery and carjacking that began in the parking garage of the Short Hills Mall have admitted their role in the incident.
Karif Ford, 35, of Newark, and Hanif Thompson, 32, of Irvington, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges related to the case. Ford pleaded guilty to carjacking while while Thompson, the gunman, pleaded to murder and weapons offenses, the Star-Ledger reported.
Friedland, who was 30 at the time of the shooting, was living in Hoboken and shopping at the mall with his wife Jamie Schare Friedland when Thompson approached and demanded the keys to his Range Rover SUV. In the struggle that ensued, Thompson fatally shot Friedland.
The third man that was part of the group involved in the carjacking, Basim Henry, 36, of South Orange, has already been convicted of murder in the case.
Ford will be sentenced to 20 years in prison; Thompson will spend 30 years behind bars.
