The young woman who survived the 2007 execution-style murders of her brother and two friends in a Newark, NJ schoolyard testified at one of the suspects' trial yesterday. Natasha Aerial, a student at Delaware State said they had been hanging out peacefully when, after four Hispanic men joined two others already there, suddenly, "Somebody had their knee on my back, pulled my hair up and was trying to chop my neck off with a machete." She said that she and Iofemi Hightower were repeatedly sexually assaulted, "All I could keep doing was keep saying, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.'" Then Hightower, her brother Terrance and Dashon Harvey were lined up against a wall and shot in the head. Aerial was shot in the head as well, but survived (her face is now partially paralyzed).
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2025. Donate today