Taushaun Skinner was found not guilty of a 2010 murder of a tax driver and the wounding a man selling marijuana in Elizabeth. (NJ Advance Media file photo)
ELIZABETH — A jury in the re-trial of a man accused in the 2010 killing of cab driver in Elizabeth during drug deal found the defendant not guilty of all charges.
Taushaun Skinner, 27, was acquitted Tuesday of charges of murder, attempted murder, robbery, felony murder and weapons offenses.
Skinner was charged with the June 26, 2010 shooting of a Muhammed Younus, 58, in a taxi cab in an alley near Third and Pine streets.
This was Skinner’s second trial on these charges. His first trial last year ended in a hung jury.
A key witness in the trial, Brian Fernandez, testified that in 2010 he was selling marijuana, and that he had asked his friend, Younus, to drive him to a meet somebody who wanted to buy three ounces of the drug.
Younus drove to an alley near Third and Pine streets, with Fernandez in the passenger’s seat. Fernandez said a man he identified as Skinner got in the backseat with an accomplice on the pretense of buying marijuana.
Instead, however, the man pulled out a gun, and demanded the drug, Fernandez testified. Younus tried to sped away, but the man shot and killed him, and shot and wounded Fernandez, the witness said, adding that the gunman then fled from the car that crashed into a building.
Skinner’s lawyer, Michael Rubas, challenged the credibility of Fernandez and other witnesses.
Fernandez admitted he had repeatedly lied to police before he came forward and identified Skinner as the gunman.
Rubas said there was no fingerprint or DNA evidence presented against his client. He said prosecution witnesses gave conflicting testimony about the car Younus was driving.
“I’m just happy that the jury followed the evidence and did the right thing based on what was presented to them,” Rubas said.
Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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