Sparks flew when Javier Conde and Leticia met. She was serving drinks to make extra cash and Javier knew the owner of the bar, and over time they discovered they had a lot in common.
“We basically hit it off,” said Leticia, who did not want her last name to be used. “We liked the same things and we had very similar backgrounds, but there was a difference in age—he was eight years older than me.”
They got to know each other as friends, and over time that friendship grew into something more. Javier was a foodie and loved taking Leticia to trying new places to eat, and playing pool was high on his list of things to do, too. Javier was also a moviegoer and enjoyed catching the latest releases. In fact, they went to the movie theater so often that they had memberships.
A few months into their relationship, though, Javier had to finish serving time for a past violation. During that time, Leticia finished school, got her degree and purchased a house, and when Javier was released, it was an easy transition for him.
“During that first year, it was good,” Leticia said. “He came home in 2012. By 2013, we were engaged to be married. A few months after that, we found out I was pregnant. Some time after that was when he was murdered.”
Javier had gone to Atlantic City to watch a boxing match with friends on Oct. 26, 2013. A few hours later, he called Leticia to let her know he was on his way back home. Back in Kensington, he and his friends stopped at the Liquid Room at 2nd and Master for a drink before calling it a night.
As Javier and his friends pulled away from the bar around 2 a.m., someone started shooting in the direction of their car. Javier, who was in the driver’s seat, was pronounced dead at the scene. One of his passengers was also shot, but survived.
“He had such a beautiful smile and his presence could light up any room,” Leticia said. “He was a kind and big-hearted person. Naji helped anyone in need and was the ‘I’ll give you the shirt of my back’ type of guy. He was a good father, family man and a great friend. He loved life and his personality showed that.”
Javier was born April 27, 1974 in Elizabeth, NJ. When he was 5, Javier’s father was murdered. Javier suffered another loss as a teenager when his Uncle Radi, his mother’s brother, passed away. Javier looked up to his uncle as a father figure, Leticia said.
His story isn’t new, she said. He got involved in the street life for comfort and belonging, but by the time Leticia came into his life, he was ready to make some changes.
“He was trying to live a more quiet life,” she said. “That lifestyle was pushed behind him, and he was ready to have a fresh start.”
A big part of that fresh start was his unborn child. The week that Javier died, the couple learned they’d be having a daughter, which is what Javier had been hoping for. He even had a name picked out: Angelica.
Leticia is able to show her daughter, who is now 5 years old, the many videos and photos she has kept of Javier, and she knows he loved her.
Over the years, Leticia has done her own legwork in trying to find evidence to help police solve the case, but his murder remains unsolved.
“I’m very grateful to have known him and have had a place in his heart,” Leticia said. ”I’ll always keep his memory alive, especially through our baby girl, and he’ll always be loved, missed and kept in my heart and thoughts forever.”
In addition to Leticia and Angelica, Javier is survived by several other children; his mother Maria; siblings Thomas, Louis, and Milagros; and maternal grand-mother Maria.
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Javier’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
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