Undocumented immigrant from Poland arrested in store killing

From: North Jersey.com

An undocumented immigrant from Poland was charged with murder Friday in the fatal January shooting of a clerk at a Garfield convenience store, authorities said.

An undocumented immigrant from Poland was charged with murder Friday in the fatal January shooting of a clerk at a Garfield convenience store, authorities said.

Krzysztof A. Jastrzebski made his first appearance in Superior Court, Hackensack, on Friday, about 10 months after the shooting of Ahmad Alsurakhi.

Prosecutors say Jastrzebski, 39, entered Billy’s Deli on MacArthur Avenue on Jan. 24 with a semiautomatic handgun and shot the 30-year-old Alsurakhi, whose father owns the store, according to prosecutors.

A customer discovered the body of Alsurakhi, a quiet man who was considered polite and friendly with customers at his family’s two delis, lying on the floor behind the counter.

Mohammed Alsurakhi said he visited his son’s grave site in Paterson to share the news of the arrest.

"I go tell him police catch the guy and I tell him to be relaxing in his grave," he said.

Alsurakhi, who visits his son’s grave site every day, said he wished New Jersey still had the death penalty.

"I feel sad … from my son’s killing to now," he said.

It’s not known how much money was taken from the store, but cash was missing from the register, prosecutors said. Authorities described the killing as a botched robbery.

While detectives pursued numerous leads after the shooting, the case remained unsolved.

Recently, the focus of the investigation turned to Jastrzebski after detectives learned through witnesses that he had committed a burglary on Shaw Street in Garfield on Jan.14 and took cash, jewelry and a semiautomatic handgun.

At the time of the burglary, he was living down the street from Billy’s Deli, authorities said.

They also discovered that hours before the murder he had shot a firearm in an Elizabeth Street apartment, missing his intended victim, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said they believe he used the stolen handgun from the Shaw Street burglary in the killing.

Investigators found Jastrzebski in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of an immigration violation. He was initially arrested Wednesday on aggravated assault and weapons charges related to the Elizabeth Street incident.

He has since been charged with murder, felony murder, armed robbery and weapons offenses. For the Shaw Street burglary, he’s charged with armed burglary and two counts of theft.

With the assistance of a Polish interpreter, Jastrzebski, who used crutches because his leg is broken, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in state Superior Court Friday afternoon.

Bail was set by Judge Harry G. Carroll at $1.2 million.

Defense Attorney Michelle Blake-Smith told the judge she would pursue a bail reduction hearing.

Alsurakhi came to the United States in February 2007 and lived in Lodi above his family’s Station One convenience store. He had planned to return to Jordan to marry his fiancée and bring her to the United States.

Krzysztof A. Jastrzebski made his first appearance in Superior Court, Hackensack, on Friday, about 10 months after the shooting of Ahmad Alsurakhi.

Prosecutors say Jastrzebski, 39, entered Billy’s Deli on MacArthur Avenue on Jan. 24 with a semiautomatic handgun and shot the 30-year-old Alsurakhi, whose father owns the store, according to prosecutors.

A customer discovered the body of Alsurakhi, a quiet man who was considered polite and friendly with customers at his family’s two delis, lying on the floor behind the counter.

Mohammed Alsurakhi said he visited his son’s grave site in Paterson to share the news of the arrest.

"I go tell him police catch the guy and I tell him to be relaxing in his grave," he said.

Alsurakhi, who visits his son’s grave site every day, said he wished New Jersey still had the death penalty.

"I feel sad … from my son’s killing to now," he said.

It’s not known how much money was taken from the store, but cash was missing from the register, prosecutors said. Authorities described the killing as a botched robbery.

While detectives pursued numerous leads after the shooting, the case remained unsolved.

Recently, the focus of the investigation turned to Jastrzebski after detectives learned through witnesses that he had committed a burglary on Shaw Street in Garfield on Jan.14 and took cash, jewelry and a semiautomatic handgun.

At the time of the burglary, he was living down the street from Billy’s Deli, authorities said.

They also discovered that hours before the murder he had shot a firearm in an Elizabeth Street apartment, missing his intended victim, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said they believe he used the stolen handgun from the Shaw Street burglary in the killing.

Investigators found Jastrzebski in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement because of an immigration violation. He was initially arrested Wednesday on aggravated assault and weapons charges related to the Elizabeth Street incident.

He has since been charged with murder, felony murder, armed robbery and weapons offenses. For the Shaw Street burglary, he’s charged with armed burglary and two counts of theft.

With the assistance of a Polish interpreter, Jastrzebski, who used crutches because his leg is broken, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in state Superior Court Friday afternoon.

Bail was set by Judge Harry G. Carroll at $1.2 million.

Defense Attorney Michelle Blake-Smith told the judge she would pursue a bail reduction hearing.

Alsurakhi came to the United States in February 2007 and lived in Lodi above his family’s Station One convenience store. He had planned to return to Jordan to marry his fiancée and bring her to the United States.