TWO MEN CONVICTED IN MURDER OF PATERSON WOMAN JASMIN WEL

Two Paterson men have been convicted of murdering Jasmin Wel, who was shot while sitting in her car outside her home on East 24th Street in December 2021, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office announced October 7.

Jefersson Gonzalez, 25, and Elvis DeJesus, 29, were found guilty on October 6 after approximately three days of jury deliberations. A third defendant, Kristian Gonzalez, was acquitted — found not guilty of all charges.

WHO WAS JASMIN WEL?

Wel was a 25-year-old Paterson resident. William Paterson University lists her with its class of 2018 in the memorial section of its Spring 2022 magazine.

She studied business marketing and worked as a sales account manager for a company making fragrances and skin-care products, according to reporter Jerry DeMarco’s December 3, 2021 report for Daily Voice.

WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?

Paterson police responded to a report of a shooting around 8:18 p.m. on December 2, 2021, and found Wel with gunshot wounds. Investigators identified a suspected crime scene outside 661 East 24th Street, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office’s original incident release.

Wel was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, where she was pronounced dead. The reported 8:18 p.m. time describes the police response, not an independently confirmed time when the shots were fired.

The later verdict announcement says the trial evidence established that Jefersson Gonzalez and Elvis DeJesus shot Wel while she sat in her car outside her home.

WHAT THE JURY DECIDED

Jefersson Gonzalez and DeJesus were each convicted of first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and fourth-degree tampering with evidence, according to the prosecutor’s release.

The verdict is the latest development in a case that began with Wel’s killing on December 2, 2021. The verdict followed a trial concerning the shooting outside her East 24th Street home.

HOW THE CASE REACHED A VERDICT

Jury selection began August 4, 2026, before Superior Court Judge Justine A. Niccollai. The state presented testimony from Paterson police and prosecutor’s office detectives, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences and the New Jersey Medical Examiner’s Office.

Senior Assistant Prosecutors Melissa M. Simsen and Ali Y. Ozbek represented the state. The jury returned its verdicts October 6.

WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE MOTIVE?

The original incident release and the verdict announcement do not explain why Wel was killed or describe a relationship between her and the defendants. Jersey Alerts has not verified a motive. Those unanswered questions should not be filled in with speculation.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Sentencing is still ahead. The prosecutor’s office says each man convicted of murder faces potential punishment of 30 years to life in state prison. That is the possible punishment, not a sentence already imposed.

The official release lists January 4, 2026, as the sentencing date, which predates the trial and verdict. Jersey Alerts has not independently confirmed the corrected date.

SOURCES AND PHOTOGRAPHS

The incident, trial, verdicts and acquittal are drawn from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office’s December 3, 2021, and October 7, 2026, releases. Wel’s background is attributed to William Paterson University and reporter Jerry DeMarco for Daily Voice. The two defendant photographs were released with the prosecutor’s verdict announcement.