Crime & Safety

Jury Finds East Orange Man Guilty of Brutal Attack on Elderly Sister

Newark teacher suffered severe injuries following 2012 beating

A jury convicted an East Orange man Wednesday for the brutal assault of his sister, a Newark teacher, last year.

On April 1, 2012, Levi Johnson, 59, was at the East Orange home belonging to his deceased mother when Beatrice East came by. East, 63, was planning on speaking with her brother about looking after their disabled brother for a week. 

Johnson attacked East in the home, leaving her with facial fractures and three broken ribs. East was unable to eat solid food for a year after the attack, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Find out what's happening in Newarkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It is always a sad state of affairs when there is family violence but the jury reached a just verdict in this case,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor David Feldman, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Cheryl Cucinello.


Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 10. Johnson, who has five prior felony convictions from the 1990s, is facing 5 to 10 years in prison.

Find out what's happening in Newarkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.




Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.