Shawn Custis, 45, was convicted in Newark today of aggravated assault, criminal restraint, burglary, robbery, theft and endangering the welfare of a child for his actions in a 2013 attack on a woman in her home on Cypress Street in Millburn.
“This verdict was only made possible by the brave citizens who identified the defendant on the nanny cam and helped law enforcement deliver him to justice,” said Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Olajide Araromi.
Four woman, including two who dated Custis, identified him as the attacker.
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. During the incident, Custis beat the victim unconscious, kicking, punching and throwing her down the basement stairs as her three-year-old sat on the living room sofa watching and her 18-month-old slept upstairs.
The assault, recorded on a nanny camera, captured the attention of many locals. Video of the attack can be viewed here.
Custis was acquitted on one count: attempted murder.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 29. Custis, a Newark resident, faces life in prison, according to a release from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant Prosecutor Semper said he will seek the maximum prison sentence because Custis has a dozen prior convictions mostly for burglary, theft and a prior home invasion. In addition to Essex County, Custis was previously convicted of crimes in Mercer, Middlesex, Union and Burlington counties.
According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the victim was in the courtroom when the jury returned the verdict; however, Custis refused to come into the courtroom.
