Authorities say a 32-year-old man, who is already serving a lengthy prison sentence on drug-related charges, has now been charged in connection to a 2019 New Year's Day homicide in Atlantic City.

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According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, on January 1, 2019, the Atlantic City Police Department was called to the 700 block of North Ohio Avenue where they found Lamir King unconscious and unresponsive inside of a vehicle; he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined King died from multiple gunshot wounds.

That June, 53-year-old Jamie Sewell of Atlantic City was arrested and charged for that murder.

Now, authorities have charged 32-year-old Khalif S. Toombs, also of Atlantic City, for allegedly hiring Sewell to kill King.

Jamie Sewell of Atlantic City NJ - Photo: Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office
Jamie Sewell of Atlantic City NJ - Photo: Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office
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This past Thursday, Toombs was charged with,

  • Conspiring with another to purposely cause the death of Lamir King (first-degree)
  • An accomplice procuring the commission of the murder of Lamir King by payment or promise of payment of items of pecuniary value (first degree)
  • Knowingly possess a handgun, to wit: a revolver without first having obtained a permit to carry the same (second-degree)
  • Knowingly possess a firearm with the purpose to use it unlawfully against the person of another, specifically the murder of Lamir King (second-degree)
700 block of North Ohio Avenue in Atlantic City NJ - Photo: Google Maps
700 block of North Ohio Avenue in Atlantic City NJ - Photo: Google Maps
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Guilty in 2020

In November 2020, Toombs, described by Federal authorities as the leader of an Atlantic City drug-trafficking organization, was sentenced to just over 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.

Toombs' guilty plea was part of a federal drug investigation that resulted in nearly two dozen people being arrested.

At the time, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said,

Toombs and other members of the drug conspiracy trafficked heroin from Paterson, New Jersey, into Atlantic City, New Jersey. Toombs admitted in court to conspiring with others to traffic between three and 10 kilograms of heroin during the period of the investigation and to being a manager and supervisor of the drug trafficking conspiracy, which operated throughout Atlantic County.

An investigation tracked multiple stamps of heroin being distributed by Toombs and others that accounted for 48 deaths and 84 non-fatal overdoses in New Jersey.

Legal proceedings

Toombs is currently serving his sentence in a Federal prison in Connecticut, per BreakingAC.com.

The Press of Atlantic City reports Sewell's trial is still pending a court date.

If convicted of hiring Sewell to kill King, Toombs is subject to mandatory life behind bars.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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