Darnell Collins

Upon the end of Collins' spree, questions started to be raised about his parole officer John Goodman, and why didn't he take further action in response to Collins' parole violations, as Collins was a dangerous criminal and re-offender. This led to allegations that Goodman had neglected his position, and after undergoing an administrative hearing on October 19, the court agreed and Goodman was stripped of his position in January 1996.

In June 1995, Gates reported Collins to the police after witnessing him violate his parole, which apparently angered Collins to the point that the two got into a domestic dispute. On June 15, a judge issued a restraining order on Collins, halting him from seeing Gates. Enraged by the decision, on June 17, Collins went to Gates' home in Atlantic City, but the only one home was her mother, 51-year-old Shirley Gates. Instead, he tied up Shirley and shot her two times, once above the ear and the other below, fatally injuring her. Afterwards he stuffed her body in the back of his car and drove three blocks down to the house of Alicia Chappell, where April Gates was partying for her friend's birthday.

In 1984, Collins was detained for six crimes committed in New Jersey. This subsequently led convictions on armed robbery and burglary, and Collins was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was paroled on January 11, 1994, after serving ten years in prison. In August he was detained after testing positive for drugs, but was not prosecuted. Soon after, he met 30-year-old April Gates, a blackjack dealer at the Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City. The two eventually began a relationship, but separated in January 1995.

Mwanza Atiba Kamau (April 5, 1962 – June 21, 1995), better known as Darnell Collins, was an American recidivist and spree killer who shot and killed seven people and wounded three others in New Jersey and New York in June 1995. The spree came to an end when Collins was surrounded by law enforcement in Nutley, New Jersey, resulting in him being shot and killed.

Collins was born in New York City on April 5, 1962. When he was young, his father was killed while serving in the Vietnam War, and he was sent to live with his mother in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At age 9, Collins was temporarily sent to a juvenile detention center for assault, shoplifting, larceny, and attempted arson. After an uncertain amount of time, he was released. In 1975, he was returned after another assault conviction.

Following the murder of Escarpetta, Collins fled on foot to a nearby building and took the elevator to the ninth floor. Upon this, he encountered two men, 26-year-old Jeffrey Roork and 54-year-old David Roth, who both worked at the building. As the elevator rose, Collins shot both men in the head, killing both immediately. Once again needing to flee, he left the building and wound up on East 126th Street in Harlem, where he shot Norma Acosta in the head, but she survived her injuries. Less than an hour later, Collins approached two men, 46-year-old Rev. Robert Gethers and deacon Joseph Johnson outside of their church. Collins demanded money from Johnson, but he did not have any, so he resorted to Gethers, who handed him $350 from his wallet. Because of this, Collins spared both men and fled in their car. On June 21, Collins hitched a ride from a taxi. For unknown reasons, through the ride, Collins shot the driver Emmanuel Malan in the head, killing him.