The second defendant in the shooting death of Verona native Daniel Pritchard, an employee at the Sunoco gas station on Pompton Avenue, pleaded not guilty in Newark court today. The Star-Ledger reported that 44-year-old Raymond Perry was handcuffed but clad in a white button-down shirt, black slacks and sneakers, as his attorney, John McMahon, entered the not-guilty plea.
Perry, along with his cousin, David Fate, are accused of committing a string of robberies over a three-week period in February 2009, which ended with the Verona killing. Fate, 25, entered a not guilty plea last week.
Prosecutors say Perry fired the gun that killed Pritchard, 29. Perry and Fate will be tried together, as will the robberies and the killing.
Perry’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 23. Both men are being held on $1 million bail and face up to life in prison if convicted of murder. A trial is not expected to start until the fall.
