Suspects in Newark schoolyard killings nabbed in Va.
by Jonathan Schuppe and Jeff Whelan
Saturday August 18, 2007, 10:25 AM

Authorities this morning arrested two Newark brothers wanted for their role in the Aug. 4 execution style slayings of three college students, law enforcement sources said.

The arrests of 24-year-old Rodolfo Godinez and his 16-year-old brother took place in Mannassas, Va., capping a two-week mnahunt. One person, described as a teeneager, remains at large.

Godinez has been described as a "principal player" in the schoolyard killings.

Godinez and his brother bave been the subject if an intense manhunt that expanded throughout the East Coast down to Florida.

The break in the case came through information obtained by the FBI about the location of one of the suspects, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.

One of the tactics used to pinpoint the suspects' whereabouts was their cellphones, the source said without elaborating.

Godinez, faces three counts of murder plus weapons and other charges. His brother faces similar charges.

Police also are searching for another male teenager in the killings. All together, authorities say six individuals, including four juveniles, were involved in the execution-style murders of Terrance Aeriel, 18; Dashon Harvey, 20; and Iofemi Hightower, 20.

A companion, Natasha Aeriel, 19, also was shot in the head but survived.

Rev. John McClain, great uncle of Iofemi Hightower:

"Oh, thank God almighty. This will come as a great relief to our family," the Rev. John McClain, the great-uncle of Iofemi Hightower, said this morning. "I want to commend the police for their strong work and for the determination of the mayor, the governor and law enforcement across this state.

"There have been a lot of people working 12- and 16-hour days around the clock to make this happen and we are so thankful for their efforts," he said.

Three people - Jose Lachira Carranza, 28, and two other teenagers have already been charged in murders which took place behind the Mount Vernon School. Carranza, who is being held on $1 million bail in the murder case, is in the country illegally.

A 15-year-old Morristown boy and a 15-year-old Newark boy whave been charged also are being held.

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