The Newark man convicted of brutally assaulting a Millburn woman after breaking into her home, while the woman’s 3-year-old daughter watched and her 18-month-old slept upstairs, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
The Honorable Ronald Wigler, the presiding Essex County Criminal Division Judge, imposed the life sentence on 45-year-old Shawn Custis for the robbery, assault and related charges and an additional five years for endangering the welfare of a child, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray. The attack was captured on a nanny camera.
On June 21, 2013, Custis broke into the victim’s Millburn home, assaulted her and stole her husband’s watch, her wedding rings, a necklace, cell phone and the baby monitor. Custis beat the victim unconscious, kicking, punching and throwing her down the basement stairs as her daughter watched.
Video of the attack can be viewed here.
On June 1, an Essex County jury convicted Custis of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, robbery, burglary, criminal restraint and theft. He was acquitted of attempted murder.
Custis will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 85 percent of his sentence. Under New Jersey law, a life sentence is 75 years. Custis would have to serve at least 63 years and 9 months, or 85 percent, before he would be eligible for parole.
“There is no place in a free society for the kind of brutality and violence that the defendant inflicted upon the victim in this case. We are grateful that this sentence will ensure the defendant can never harm innocent women and children again,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Olajide Araromi.
Custis, who is originally from Camden, was adjudicated delinquent twice as a juvenile. As an adult, he has been arrested 38 times and has had 17 prior felony convictions, not including the current case. He has been prosecuted in Essex, Middlesex, Union, Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. Most of which were for burglary, theft and a prior home invasion involving a woman with an 18 month old baby. In that case, he also threw the woman and the baby down the stairs.
