Philadelphia Man Convicted in Plot to Murder New Jersey Prosecutors and Judges

Stephen Smink, 62, was found guilty in Atlantic County Superior Court for orchestrating a multi-year conspiracy to kill officials involved in his prior criminal case.

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - A Philadelphia man has been convicted in New Jersey Superior Court for orchestrating a years-long conspiracy to murder five government officials who played roles in his earlier criminal conviction, state authorities announced.

Stephen Smink, 62, of Philadelphia, was found guilty on August 15, 2025, of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, five counts of first-degree attempted murder, and fourth-degree charges of conspiracy to transport weapons and unlawful transportation of weapons. The verdict follows a trial held before Judge Joseph A. Levin in Atlantic County Superior Court.

“This defendant planned to kill public servants for doing their jobs and putting him behind bars for crimes he previously committed,” said Attorney General Platkin. “State Police and prison officials found out about his plan and interceded before anyone was harmed. He now faces a lengthy prison sentence for his violent scheme.”

According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Justice, Smink’s targets included Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, First Assistant Prosecutor Harold Shapiro, two Superior Court judges, and an assistant prosecutor, all of whom were involved in Smink’s 2014 conviction for arson.

Smink, a former owner of a southern New Jersey bowling alley, was serving a 15-year state prison sentence for directing the arson of a competing bowling business. Two Philadelphia men involved in setting the fire pleaded guilty. Authorities say the murder conspiracy ran from January 2018 to December 2020, during which time Smink was incarcerated at Northern State Prison in Newark.

The plot came to light in April 2019, when the New Jersey State Police Central Security Unit received intelligence from the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness that Smink had hired a cooperating witness to assist in a murder-for-hire plan.

Investigators determined that Smink initially contracted a member of the Latin Kings gang, also incarcerated, to carry out the killings. That individual died before taking any action. Smink later engaged the cooperating witness to locate a hitman and managed the conspiracy through coded messages and instructions, some of which were conveyed via his now-deceased mother, Esther Smink. Payment arrangements included the transfer of sports memorabilia to finance the operation.

In a meeting with an undercover officer, Smink allegedly said, “If everybody was together, wipe the whole place out and kill everybody it just looks like somebody making an assault, a gangs meeting,” and, “If somebody shot up the place it looks like the gang getting retribution.”

The charges stemmed from a joint investigation by the New Jersey State Police Central Intelligence Unit and the New Jersey Department of Corrections Special Investigations Division, with assistance from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Smink now faces a minimum sentence of 30 years to life in prison, with no possibility of parole until serving at least 30 years. Sentencing is scheduled for September 26, 2025.

The prosecution was led by Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Parvin, Deputy Attorney General Veronica Daddario, and Deputy Attorney General Amie Hyde.