A New Jersey minister who helped organize the Million Family March has been busted in a 10-year-old murder.
Mustapha Muhammad, the leader of a Nation of Islam mosque in Plainfield, is facing murder, weapons and conspiracy charges in the death of Reynaldo Lopez, 24.
Lopez’ bullet-riddled body was found in a van in Newark on Aug. 22, 1990.
The arrest stunned officials and community workers in Plainfield, where Muhammad worked to rid the community of drugs.
“I thought he was quite a community activist,” said former City Councilman Joseph Scott Sr. “He’s one of the few people who really have an interest and wanted to do something.”
Muhammad has spoken openly of his troubled past, including a prison term for armed robbery he served in the 1970s, when he was known as Wallace Lane.
“He uses that; he does not deny that,” said his wife, Janetta Muhammad. “Wallace has done time in prison. He uses all of this in his work that he does today.
“It’s natural for forces to come forth at this time, as he is evolving into what Allah wants him to evolve into,” she added. “I do believe, by the grace of Allah, that he will be cleared of all charges.”
Newark police said Lane is one of three people they believe are responsible for the killing of Lopez. Two other suspects are in custody.
A department spokesman, Sgt. Amilkar Velez, said two detectives “identified Mr. Muhammad, or Mr. Lane, as one of the suspects in the homicide.”
Plainfield Police Chief Edward Santiago said Muhammad has been a model citizen in the last decade.
“My contact with him has always been very positive,” he said. “He was very involved in community events and activities.”