Muslim community presses Essex County for answers and an in-person meeting with prosecutor in Imam Hassan Sharif murder case

Dozens of community members packed the meeting room to press the Essex County Board of Commissioners for information and an in-person dialogue with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office about the unsolved murder of Imam Hassan Sharif.

Imam Kasim Sharif and other mosque leaders described four months of pain and uncertainty since the killing and said they had received limited follow-up. "We are asking where does the investigation stand and what is the city of Essex County doing about the investigation of the murder of the imam?" Imam Kasim Sharif asked the board.

County administration said the prosecutor’s office had communicated with some family members and that investigators were close to concluding work; a county official said they were "optimistic about an ending of this investigation." At the request of community leaders who said a recent written communication from the prosecutor arrived too late to be useful, community representatives invited Prosecutor Theodore Stevens to meet at Masjid Mohammed so residents and family members could hear directly what the prosecutor is able to share. The board agreed to forward contact information and to ask the prosecutor to consider the meeting.

Public pushback: Donna Jackson sharply criticized the prosecutor's office for what she described as a lack of visible investigative work and for late communications with the mosque's leadership. "Had it been any other faith leader, the disrespect would not have been done," she told the commissioners, and pressed for immediate outreach.

Board response and next steps: Commissioners said they have been in touch with Prosecutor Stevens and that he expressed willingness to meet in person with community leaders. County staff asked community representatives to provide contact names and said staff would deliver those to the prosecutor’s office to arrange a meeting. Commissioners emphasized the prosecutor's independent investigatory role, noting the county cannot direct the prosecutor's investigative steps but can request communication and a community dialog.

The board did not receive new investigative details at the meeting and no formal action was taken beyond promising follow-up contact with the prosecutor’s office.