Nadiyah Venable was a Newark-area woman convicted in 2013 of the jealousy-driven stabbing murder of Sha-Ron Moens, a 29-year-old mother of three. She was sentenced to 55 years in New Jersey state prison and died at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility on July 1, 2014, at age 23, less than a year into her sentence and under circumstances her family publicly disputed.
The Newark Stabbing
On May 15, 2010, Venable, then 20 years old and six months pregnant, went to Moens’s apartment on Mount Prospect Avenue in Newark with her 15-year-old cousin, Aliyah Venable. The attack grew out of a love triangle. Kenny Jones, who was married to Moens and had two children with her, had ended a relationship with Nadiyah and reconciled with his wife. Nadiyah was pregnant with Jones’s child.1NJ.com. Newark Woman Gets 55 Years for Fatal Stabbing of Romantic Rival
Venable later told police she and her cousin went to the apartment to “rough up” Moens. Once inside, she threw bleach into Moens’s eyes and stabbed her at least 30 times. Moens’s three children, ages 10, 6, and 3, were home. The oldest, a 13-year-old daughter, was splashed with bleach and ran to a nearby travel agency to call 911.2NJ.com. Trial of Pregnant Woman Charged With Killing Mother of Three Begins With Chilling Openings Moens was pronounced dead at University Hospital at 1:05 p.m.3NJECPO. Arrest Made in Fatal Stabbing of Young Mother
Arrest and Charges
Venable and her cousin left the scene in Venable’s green Ford Explorer. The next morning, May 16, 2010, she walked into the East Orange Police Department and reported the vehicle stolen. Officers took her into custody there. Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced her arrest on May 17, 2010.3NJECPO. Arrest Made in Fatal Stabbing of Young Mother
She was charged with criminal homicide, felony murder, burglary, and weapons offenses. Bail was set at $750,000, and she was held at the Essex County Correctional Facility.4NJECPO. Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Announcement
Trial and Conviction
The three-week trial took place in June 2013 in Essex County Superior Court, with Assistant Prosecutor Purva Deshpande leading the case. Central to the prosecution was Venable’s own 2010 videotaped police statement, in which she admitted going to the apartment to “beat up” Moens and acknowledged throwing bleach at her.5NJ.com. Case of Pregnant Woman Charged With Murder Heads to Jury
Moens’s 13-year-old daughter described the intruders. Aliyah Venable, who had separately pleaded guilty to conspiracy in juvenile court, testified that Nadiyah carried out the stabbing.6NJ.com. Defendant Tells Jurors Her 15-Year-Old Cousin Killed Newark Mother of Three
Venable testified in her own defense and blamed Aliyah. She told jurors that her cousin threw the bleach, beat Moens with brass knuckles, and did the stabbing, and that Moens had tried to attack her with a knife. She also said she had gone to the apartment “to collect money to pay bills,” not to confront Moens at all. That account contradicted the statement she had given police in 2010.5NJ.com. Case of Pregnant Woman Charged With Murder Heads to Jury
On June 27, 2013, the jury found her guilty on all counts, including murder, felony murder, conspiracy, burglary, and weapons offenses. Judge Sherry Hutchins-Henderson revoked her bail.7NJECPO. Woman Found Guilty of Murdering Mother of Three
55-Year Sentence
On September 27, 2013, Judge Hutchins-Henderson sentenced Venable to 55 years in state prison. Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, she was required to serve at least 85 percent of that term before parole eligibility, roughly 47 years.1NJ.com. Newark Woman Gets 55 Years for Fatal Stabbing of Romantic Rival
At the hearing, Moens’s grandmother told the court, “Sha-Ron was a good girl and she loved her three children. The boys still miss her.”8NJECPO. Woman Sentenced to 55 Years for Murder of Mother of Three
Death at Edna Mahan
Venable died on July 1, 2014, at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton Township. She was 23 and had served less than a year of her sentence.9NJ.com. Murder Convict Dies in Women’s Prison; Family Demands Answers
Prison officials told her family the cause was a seizure. The family rejected that explanation, saying she had no history of seizures or neurological problems. William Strazza, who had represented Venable at trial and was retained by the family after her death, sent a July 3, 2014, letter to the facility’s administrator, Valerie Arthur, demanding a full accounting.
Strazza’s letter said an internal affairs investigation had previously been conducted regarding claims that at least two prison officers had used excessive force against Venable. Venable had written to her family while incarcerated saying she feared prison staff were “out to get her.” Strazza told reporters he was “gravely concerned about a connection between injuries suffered at the hands of your officers and Ms. Venable’s sudden and unexpected passing.”9NJ.com. Murder Convict Dies in Women’s Prison; Family Demands Answers
The New Jersey Department of Corrections confirmed the death was under investigation but declined to comment further. The Hunterdon County Medical Examiner’s office said the cause of death was pending final determination. No public findings on the cause of death or the results of any internal investigation appeared in available coverage.