A trial jury has convicted a 33-year-old man of first-degree attempted murder and related charges in connection with the 2014 shooting of two men, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

Timothy Parrish, 33, of Freehold Borough, was found guilty of shooting 40-year-old Roberto Diaz and 35-year-old Frank Lavacca. Parrish is scheduled to return for sentencing on Jan. 10, 2020.

Parrish faces a minimum sentence of 20 years to a maximum of life in a New Jersey state prison for the attempted murder charge, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act, requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole. Due to a previous firearms conviction, Parrish faces a mandatory extended-term sentence between 20 years to life imprisonment on the charges of attempted murder and unlawful possession of a weapon. 

Both sentences will also be subject to the provisions of the Graves Act, which would require him to serve a minimum of 42 months in prison before he is eligible for parole. Parrish also faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison on an associated aggravated assault charge. On a certain persons not to have a firearm charge, Parrish faces an additional prison sentence between five and 10 years, subject to a mandatory five years of parole ineligibility.

The charges were the result of a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Freehold Borough Police Department.

The case background …

Freehold Borough police officers responded to the Metropolitan Café at 8 East Main Street on a report of a shooting on Dec. 27, 2014.

Inside, police located the victims with gunshot wounds and life-threatening injuries. The victims were both rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township where they underwent emergency surgery and remained for several days. After interviewing witnesses and reviewing video surveillance, the police learned Timothy Parrish shot both victims with a loaded firearm as he chased them through the alleyway. 

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office