Police search for robbery suspect possibly linked to Camden murder
CAMDEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- Police are searching for a suspect involved in a robbery that may be connected to the kidnapping and murder of the grandson of the Camden City Council president.
The robbery occurred on the 200 block of Kaighn Avenue on Monday.
Police said one of the suspects in the robbery has already been arrested and is charged with kidnapping and homicide in a separate crime.
That man is 32-year-old Brandon Beverly who has been charged with the murder 20-year-old Curtis Jenkins III.
Jenkins III's body was found late Tuesday night in the 1100 block of Liberty Street in Camden, just hours after police made the arrest in his kidnapping.
Authorities said the cause of death has been ruled as asphyxia, and the manner of death determined to be homicide.
Police said Jenkins III was reported missing on Monday and last seen near the 2700 block of Congress Road, just five minutes from his home.
Jenkins III is the grandson of Camden City Council President Curtis Jenkins.
The affidavit of probable cause says an informant came to police after speaking with Beverly. The informant claimed that Beverly admitted to kidnapping Jenkins, shooting him once inside of a van, then dumping Jenkins' body in an abandoned garage on the 1100 block of Liberty Street. The charging document also states that Jenkins was found with a plastic bag over his head. He was pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m.
Sources tell Action News that Jenkins' father received a photo of his son by the alleged kidnappers threatening harm if a ransom was not paid.
Investigators said the calls made to Jenkins' father for ransom were made on a cellphone stolen from a victim of the armed robbery on Kaighn Avenue.
That cellphone was found in Beverly's home, along with a handgun.
Then just hours before police discovered the victim's body, they arrested Beverly on charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault related to the disappearance of Jenkins III, but those charges were later upgraded to first degree murder.
The Camden County Police Department is now searching for the second suspect in the Kaighn Avenue robbery. He is described as a black male wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers.
Police have not yet determined if this suspect was involved in Jenkin's kidnapping and murder.
Anyone with information should call the Camden County Police Department tip line at (856) 757-7042.
