Donqua Thomas
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announces that Donqua Thomas, 33, of Paterson,
was sentenced on November 16, 2023 by the Honorable Justine A. Niccollai, J.S.C. to an
aggregate term of Life Imprisonment for the shooting death of Remy Lee on October 29, 2020 in
the area of 5 Christina Place in Paterson.
During the jury trial, the State presented evidence that on Thursday, October 29, 2020, at
approximately 1:37 p.m., the defendant, Donqua Thomas, shot the victim, Remy Lee four times
in the parking lot outside 5 Christina Place, Paterson, New Jersey. The victim was nine-months
pregnant with the defendant’s child. People in the area went to victim’s side after she was shot,
including the victim’s mother, and heard the victim identify the defendant as the person who shot
her. The victim was then transported to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center where she
eventually succumbed to her injuries and died. Her child; however, was successfully delivered
and survived.
The subsequent police investigation revealed that the defendant parked his vehicle in the parking
lot outside the victim’s apartment and waited for over an hour and a half before the victim
arrived. When the victim exited her vehicle, the defendant shot at her from inside his car and
then fled the area.
On June 21, 2023, at the conclusion of his trial, the jury found Donqua Thomas guilty of murder,
unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and certain
persons not to possess firearms.
The State was represented by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Allan P. Nawrocki. Thomas was
represented by Thomas McQuillan, Esq. and Samantha Montalbano, Esq.
