A Morristown man accused of bludgeoning another man with a brick and leaving him for dead on the Morristown train station steps last month will stay in jail, a judge decided on Monday after hearing new evidence in the case.
Lamar Harris, 33, was in possession of a sock, jacket and shoe covered in blood when he was taken into custody on March 29 for the killing of Matthew Palla, 60, also of Morristown, according to prosecutors. The Morris County Prosecutor s Office released the victim s name to the Daily Record on Monday.
Harris, who did not speak during the virtual Morris County Superior Court hearing, is charged with murder and robbery. Harris was temporarily homeless and sleeping on a bench at the train station when several people called police at 12:30 a.m. to report finding Palla s body. A brick found nearby had blood on it, records show.
Judge keeps Morristown train station murder suspect in jail, for now
A Morristown man charged with killing a man and leaving his body on the steps of the Morristown train station last week will remain in jail, a judge decided Monday.
The judge also said he will revisit the case in two weeks, after the suspect s lawyer argued that police had arrested the wrong man.
A local resident called the police at 12:30 a.m. and reported finding the man s body with his feet on the steps of the busy main platform of the station. A brick was found by police next to the victim, who had suffered blunt force trauma to his face and head, police records show. The brick had blood on it, records show.