The Killing Odyssey of Darnell Collins

In the heart of June 1995, a chilling wave of violence swept through New Jersey and New York, orchestrated by a man whose name would soon be etched in the annals of American crime history. Mwanza Atiba Kamau, more infamously known as Darnell Collins, embarked on a murderous rampage that left seven dead and three others wounded over a span of just four days. This is the story of how Collins, a man marked by a life of crime and personal turmoil, unleashed terror before meeting a violent end himself.

Early Life and Troubled Beginnings

Born on April 5, 1962, in New York City, Collins' life was marked by tragedy from the start. His father fell in the Vietnam War, leaving his mother to raise him in Atlantic City, New Jersey. From a young age, Collins exhibited a troubling propensity for violence and crime. At just nine years old, he found himself in a juvenile detention center, having been convicted of assault, shoplifting, larceny, and attempted arson. Despite his release, Collins' brushes with the law didn't cease. By 1975, he was back in detention following another assault conviction.

The pattern of crime continued into adulthood. In 1984, Collins was arrested for a string of offenses, culminating in convictions for armed robbery and burglary. This led to a 20-year prison sentence, which was cut short when he was paroled on January 11, 1994, after serving ten years. However, freedom did little to reform him. By August, a failed drug test put him back in the system, albeit without prosecution. It was during this turbulent period that Collins met April Gates, a blackjack dealer at Atlantic City's Golden Nugget Casino. Their relationship, fraught with tension, ended in January 1995.

The Murders Begin: New Jersey

The end of Collins' relationship with Gates set off a chain of events that would spiral into a deadly spree. In June 1995, Gates reported Collins to the police for violating his parole, leading to a domestic dispute that resulted in a restraining order against him on June 15. Fuelled by rage, Collins armed himself with a .22-caliber revolver and set out on a path of revenge.

On June 17, he arrived at Gates' home in Atlantic City, only to find her mother, 51-year-old Shirley Gates, alone. In a horrific act of violence, he tied Shirley up and shot her twice, killing her. He then placed her body in the back of his car and drove to a nearby house where April was attending a party. There, amidst the celebrations, Collins confronted April, shooting her once in the ear and twice in the stomach, killing her almost instantly. His chilling words, "Why'd you tell!?" echoed as he fled the scene.

Collins' murderous spree continued the next day in Monroe Township. He checked into the Star Motel, where he invaded the room of William Dawson and Stacey Smith with her young son. Collins shot Dawson fatally in the chest and wounded Smith in the neck, sparing her child. Smith survived her injuries and was rushed to Cooper Hospital University Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey. Later, Collins robbed a gas station in Haddon Township, brutally assaulting the attendant and stealing $854.

Crossing State Lines: New York

Collins' violence had now caught the attention of authorities beyond New Jersey. Fearing he might be hiding with family in Harlem, New York officials coordinated with the NYPD. However, their search proved fruitless. On June 19, Collins surfaced again, this time in a parking lot near Avenue of the Americas. He confronted gas station attendant Jose Gabriel Escarpetta, demanding money. When Escarpetta refused, Collins shot him three times, killing him instantly. Notably, Escarpetta was under investigation for a drug-related murder, but his death cleared him of suspicion.

The spree continued as Collins entered a nearby building, where he fatally shot two men, Jeffrey Roork and David Roth, in the elevator. Fleeing once more, he reached East 126th Street in Harlem, shooting Norma Acosta in the head. Acosta survived her injuries. In a desperate bid for cash, Collins targeted Reverend Robert Gethers and Deacon Joseph Johnson outside their church, robbing Gethers of $350 but sparing their lives.

On June 21, Collins' violence reached a new height when he shot taxi driver Emmanuel Malan in the head during a ride, killing him for reasons unknown.

The Final Stand in Clifton

Collins’ reign of terror was drawing to a close. A fortuitous call from a Newark resident about armed men led police to spot Collins by chance. This stroke of luck initiated a high-speed car chase through New Jersey streets. Collins fired repeatedly at pursuing officers but missed. His attempt to evade capture ended disastrously when he crashed his car into a house after a failed turn.

Abandoning the vehicle, Collins fled on foot, exchanging gunfire with police. He sought refuge behind a half-wall, then repositioned himself by a riverside. In a final, desperate confrontation, Collins reloaded his gun and continued firing until he was struck by 14 bullets. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after, as paramedics declared him dead at the scene.

Aftermath and Consequences

The violent end of Darnell Collins left a trail of questions about the parole system that had allowed a known criminal back onto the streets. His parole officer, John Goodman, faced scrutiny for failing to act on Collins' violations. The investigation concluded with Goodman being stripped of his duties following an administrative hearing in October 1995, a decision finalized in January 1996.

The deadly spree of Darnell Collins, marked by brutality and a seeming disregard for human life, remains a stark reminder of the potential consequences of systemic failures in monitoring parolees. His story, though brief, is indelibly marked in the history of American crime.

Sources

• Find A Grave
• "POLICE GUN DOWN MURDEROUS ADDICT." DesertNews. June 22, 1995.
• John Marzulli & Corky Siemaszko, "MAD DOG KILLER; Ex-con shot in N.J. park after chase." New York Daily News, June 22, 1995.
• "A TRAIL OF MURDER: THE OVERVIEW; Ex-Convict's Murder Odyssey: 7 People are slain in 2 States." The New York Times, June 22, 1995.
• "A TRAIL OF MURDER: THE OVERVIEW; Before Deadly Odyssey, a Parolee Slipped Through the Cracks." The New York Times, June 23, 1995.
• "Killing Spree." New York Daily News, June 22, 1995.
• "Cops: Man who killed 7 slain in shootout." United Press International, June 21, 1995.
• "End of 5-Day Killing Spree." The New York Times, June 22, 1995.
• Louis T. Lounsberry, "Parole of murder suspect questioned." Courier-Post, June 23, 1995.
• "Darnell Collins parole officer fired for neglect." Courier-Post, January 5, 1996.

For further details, visit the original Wikipedia article.