NJ Man Accused of Killing and Incinerating Four Women

A man accused of shooting four female family members and then burning down the house they were in turned himself in to police yesterday in Irvington, NJ. Rolando Terrell (known as "Rat Man") is accused of shooting three women and a teenage girl in the NJ town bordering Newark. Two of the women were burned beyond recognition and the 13-year-old girl was shot in the face. A 14-month-old toddler who survived was rushed from the apartment covered in blood by an unknown woman.

Terrell is a reputed member of the Bloods gang was acquitted of murder in the shooting death of a Latin Kings member in a Newark social club in 2002. Police suspect that the murders may have been gang-related as one of the victims who rented the apartment, Candace McLean, has a boyfriend in prison on drug-related charges.

Terrell's lawyer says that he will plead not guilty when he is arraigned this coming Wednesday. He's described as having a nonchalant demeanor when he turned himself in yesterday and even fell asleep as he was being photographed and fingerprinted. He is being held on $2 million bail. Police say he may not have acted alone in the brutal homicides.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in News on September 14, 2008 10:21 AM

Comments [rss]

Brooklynbobby

"He's described as having a nonchalant demeanor when he turned himself in yesterday and even fell asleep as he was being photographed and fingerprinted."

I guess it was just another day at the office for him.

virgil

(...to clarify, they don't go up or down consistently enough to show a link)

Rfive

@ 8 again: Thank god gothamist ran the big picture so we could see the difference.

Rfive

@ 8: He looks more like your mom with less facial hair, than Scottie Pippen. Just sayin..

virgil

LMB,

The desire for vengeance is one of the things that makes us human, but there's no causal link between the death penalty and murder rates. They don't go down in states with them, and they don't go up in states without them.

The ability to make laws based on facts instead of emotions is what makes us a society, instead of just a group of humans living in the same place.

LMB

What comes to mind when reading this article is...the "Photo OP" of Gov. Corzine and the other Bleeding Hearts celebrating and patting each other on the back after abolishing the death penalty.

jackdonaghy

It's about time we caught this scumbag.

BTW, I am the only one who immediately thought of Scottie Pippen when I saw the photo?

NannyState

And in the sick minds of disaffected kids, this man is a recruitment poster for gangs.

virgil

Not in my case....

NYDirk

A 14-month-old toddler who survived was rushed from the apartment covered in blood by an unknown woman.

Why did the unknown woman cover the toddler in blood?

MissMeowy

He's described as having a nonchalant demeanor when he turned himself in yesterday and even fell asleep as he was being photographed and fingerprinted

Nonchalant? Drugs, perhaps? I'll bet he pleads not guilty and claims to not remember a thing due to being stoned. Peh.

Spirit of 76

Millions, not billions. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Although the judge should simply have said bail is denied. Don't know if the law allows that in these kinds of cases, though.