A New Jersey man almost three years to the dat was sentenced to life in prison, and then some, for the 2020 murder of Joshua Mcrae on Tuesday.
Robert S. Christie, 37, of Trenton, was found guilty by a Bucks County jury of first-degree murder, flight to avoid apprehension, hindering apprehension, possession of an instrument of crime, and abuse of a corpse, late last year.
Christie was charged last August, along with two other Trenton men, following an exhaustive investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and Bucks County Detectives and a recommendation by the Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury.
A Bucks County Jury found he shot and killed Mcrae in a car, then dumped his body on the side of of I-295, near the Pennsylvania Turnpike onramp in Bristol Township.
During the sentencing hearing, relatives of Mcrae told Common Pleas Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr., about the impact his murder has had on their lives. The mother of two of Mcrae’s children read impact statements written by herself and two of Mcrae’s daughters. One of the daughter’s described his murder as a “nightmare that became reality.” Fighting through tears, Mcrae’s sister said she was angry and heartbroken that her brother will not be around for his children and thanked the investigators on the case, “I am thankful for the detectives and prosecutor in Bucks County for finding justice for my brother.”
After hearing from the family, Bateman sentenced Christie to life in prison followed by a consecutive sentence of 12-60 months. A jury convicted Christie following a weeklong trial prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher W. Rees, who described Christie as a “man of violence who has made crime his business.”
State Police Troopers with the Trevose Barracks arrived and found the body of a man, later identified as Joshua Mcrae, 31, of Trenton. An autopsy determined Mcrae had been shot five times and his death was ruled a homicide.
During the trial, testimony was presented that Mcrae, Christie, and two other men went to Murphy’s Beef and Ale in Bristol Township on the night of Jan. 18, 2020.
On the drive home, Mcrae, sitting behind Christie in an SVU, said something which Christie found irritating. Christie, a self-professed triple-OG Nine Trey Gangster, testified on his own behalf. He admitted he turned around and shot Mcrae at least five times, then dragged the dying man out of the vehicle and dumped him on the side of the highway in Bristol Township.
Outside the SUV, Christie pointed the gun at Mcrae and squeezed the trigger, but the gun was empty. Christie claimed unsuccessfully that he did it in self-defense. “His intent could not be more clear if he showed up wearing a black hooded robe and a sickle,” Rees said in his closing arguments. “His intent was to kill.”
Two cooperating witnesses are awaiting trial on charges of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, abuse of a corpse, and hindering apprehension. One is also facing charges of prohibited possession of a firearm and sales to ineligible transferee.
“It is truly an honor to have assisted in this prosecution with some of the finest law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth. Their doggedness, their ingenuity, and their resolve insured Joshua’s loved ones finally got the justice for which they’ve waited more than three-and-a-half years,” Rees said.
This arrest was made possible by the dedicated work of the Bucks County Investigating Grand Jury and the tireless efforts of investigators with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher W. Rees prosecuted this case.