Camden, NJ – A jury has convicted a Lindenwold man of kidnapping and attempting to murder his girlfriendin 2024, announced Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay.
Akeem B. Morton, 33, was found guilty on March 13, 2026,of 1st-degree Kidnapping and 1st-degree Attempted Murder in reference to a shooting in Gibbsboro. Morton was also convicted of 2nd-degree Aggravated Assault, 2nd-degree Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons, 2nd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, 2nd-degree Unlawful Possession of Weapons, 3rd-degree Witness Tampering, and 4th-degree Aggravated Assault. The verdict was delivered following a two-week trial in Superior Court.
On December 15, 2024, officers from the Gibbsboro Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Clementon Road and Haddon Avenue for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located blood and multiple shell casings on the ground, but no victim. Police were subsequently notified that the victim had been brought to Jefferson Stratford Hospital.
During the investigation, detectives determined Morton and the victim had been arguing in a vehicle when he drove away without letting her out of the car. The victim eventually escaped by jumping out of the vehicle. Morton then shot the victim multiple times, put her back in the car, and drove her to the hospital. Morton was taken into custody at the hospital and later remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.
Morton is currently scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2026. He faces a mandatory life sentence under New Jersey’s Persistent Offender statute.
The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Brenden Carol and Assistant Prosecutor Patricia Manteiga of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was investigated by Detective William DeFoney and Detective Alfred Higginbotham III of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office with assistance from the Gibbsboro Police Department, Stratford Police Department, Voorhees Township Police Department, and Lindenwold Police Department. Additional trial assistance was provided by Detective Kaitlin Sell and Detective Tyrell Powell of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.