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MAYS LANDING – Three men have been charged in two separate unsolved homicides, dating back to 1996 and 2010, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.

On July 06, 2010, at approximately 12:05 a.m., Atlantic City Police Communications received a 911 call from a caller who stated they had heard numerous gunshots in the area of the 1000 block of Sewell Ave, Atlantic City.  Patrol units responded and located the victim Saleem Tolbert, 26, lying in an upright position on the steps in front of 1012 A Sewell Avenue. Tolbert had sustained multiple gunshots wounds. At approximately 12:23 a.m., the victim was pronounced by Doctor Dueber, via telemetry from responding medics.  Mr. Tolbert was 26 years old at the time of his death.

During the course of a nine year investigation and numerous witness interviews, the investigation identified a suspect. Lorin Wright AKA “Boog”, 33, is responsible for murdering Saleem Tolbert. Wright was 24 years-old when he murdered Saleem Tolbert. Tolbert and Wright were acquainted with each other.

On October 4, 2019, Wright was arrested for murder and weapons offenses and is lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

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On May 27, 1996, at approximately 3:53 p.m., Atlantic City Police Communications received multiple 911 phone calls reporting, that an individual had been shot in the rear of 340 North Kentucky Avenue, inside of Stanley Holmes second village. The victim was identified as Antojuan Huffin AKA “Cool T”, 20. Huffin was transported to ACMC and pronounced deceased at 4:22 pm., by emergency staff. Victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

During the course of this investigation it was determined that Huffin was robbed at gunpoint and then shot and multiple witnesses observed the shooting.  Suspects fled the scene.

During the course of the 23 year investigation, law enforcement identified suspects Lamarc Rex, 37, and TC as those responsible for the murder of Huffin. TC, 40, has been arrested for Felony Murder and Murder and was taken into custody on Friday, October 18, 2019. TC was processed and transported to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

As of this date, Rex has not been located and his whereabouts are unknown. There is a Juvenile arrest warrant for Rex for Felony Murder and Murder.

If anyone has information with regards to Rex’s whereabouts, please call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.

Rex is considered to be armed and dangerous.

***These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ***

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STATEMENT FROM ATLANTIC COUNTY PROSECUTOR DAMON G. TYNER

Since becoming the Atlantic County Prosecutor in March of 2017, the public has heard me say on several occasions, that it is my belief that the most heinous crime that my office is called to investigate is murder.  When someone purposefully takes the life of another, no matter who that person is, their capture and prosecution should be our highest priority.

When homicide investigations lay dormant and go unsolved for a period of time, survivors do not get closure, people lose faith in the criminal justice system, and even worse, killers mock the system and are free to potentially kill again.  As I have said on other occasions and I stand by it, whether a murder occurs in Linwood, Margate, Hammonton, Atlantic City, Pleasantville, or any of the 23 municipalities in Atlantic County that are under my jurisdiction, every homicide is important.

In recent years, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has been particularly adept at solving these crimes.  In 2018, we had a 95% solve rate, when 15 out of 16 homicides were cleared.  However, dating back to 1970 there are many homicides that remain unsolved for a variety of reasons, and there are families out there who never get the closure that they need.

We have also been fortunate to solve some cases that have been considered “cold” or inactive, such as April Kauffman who was killed in 2012 and Joyce Vanderhoff who was killed in 2014.

Today, I am pleased to announce that charges have been filed in two more cases that had been inactive, prior to my administration.

In the first matter, Antojuan Huffin was killed just one block from here in the 300 Block of North Kentucky Ave. within Stanley Holmes Village.  The incident occurred in broad daylight in at approximately 3:53 PM on May 27, 1996.  Mr. Huffin, who was 20 years old at the time, was robbed and shot at gunpoint.  We have more than reasonable belief that this brazen crime was committed by two individuals who were juveniles at the time.  Lamarc Rex was 14 years old at the time.  He is wanted for Murder and Felony Murder and a Warrant for his arrest has been issued.

A juvenile identified as T.C., who was 17 years old at the time, has been arrested and charged with Murder and Felony Murder.  He was lodged in the Atlantic County Jail and was processed in the juvenile system.  Since he has already been processed in the juvenile system, he must remain anonymous unless and until he is waived up to Adult Court.  Needless to say, we will seek to have both of these individuals waived up so that their actions are treated like the adult crimes that they are.

In the second matter, 24 year old Saleem Tolbert was killed just after midnight on July 6, 2010, in the 1000 Block of Sewell Ave. in the Marina District.  It is alleged that Lorin Wright, also age 24 at the time of the murder, was responsible for murdering Mr. Tolbert.  Both were acquainted with one another having grown up in our community together.  It is believed that a prior dispute was the motivation for this senseless killing.  Mr. Wright is currently indicted in the murder of Keith Cundiff in Atlantic City on May 5, 2017.  Mr. Wright was served notice that he has been charged with Murder and various weapons offenses, at a recent court appearance.  It should be noted that the incident he is pending trial on is totally unrelated to Mr. Tolbert’s death.

Standing with me today are the mothers of both victims and other family members are in attendance.  I along with representatives of our Victim Witness Advocates have met with them to advise them of the process going forward.  These matters will be presented to a Grand Jury in the near future and the journey to closure will begin.

I would be remiss if I did not state that we would not be standing here if not for the efforts of Agent Michael Graham and Retired Captain of County Detectives Jack Burke.  These two gentlemen investigated homicides for a living and left very few cases unsolved.  They have so much pride in their craft that they came out of retirement to close cases that they believed could have been solved years earlier, had time not run out on their official careers.  While Agent Graham came back to work for ACPO, Captain Burke completely volunteers his time to work along sworn officers in an effort to close out these unsolved crimes. I, and the residents of Atlantic County, are indebted to both of you for your efforts.