Prosecutor: 36-Year-Old Area Man Convicted in 2021 Home Invasion, Sexual Assault

A Monmouth County man has been convicted of robbery, burglary an aggravated sexual assault charges stemming from a 2021 home invasion during which he threatened and robbed two occupants at knifepoint, and sexually assaulted one of them, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday.

Shawn Connolly, 36, of Asbury Park, was found guilty of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree armed robbery, second-degree burglary, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree making terroristic threats, and three related weapons offenses.

“Yesterday’s verdict was the end product of a swift initial police response by the Asbury Park Police Department, a diligent follow-up investigation, and an exemplary prosecution,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “The facts revealed at trial were deeply unsettling, and we’re pleased that the jury reached the appropriate conclusion, winning justice for the victims and the community at large.”

Connolly will face a term of up to life in state prison upon sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled. A separate case against Connolly related to a second home invasion that took place in Asbury Park on the same night as this incident has yet to be adjudicated.

The case background …

Shortly before 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021, Asbury Park police responded to a home on 7^th Avenue on a 911 call. Upon arrival, they found Connolly and took him into custody, recovering proceeds from the robbery in his pockets.

An investigation by members of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Asbury Park Police Department determined that shortly before the officers’ arrival, the two victims, an adult male and female, suddenly awoke to Connolly in their bedroom wielding a knife and threatening to harm them, having entered through a kitchen window.

During the course of the robbery, the female victim was sexually assaulted by Connolly after he ordered the male to leave the room to retrieve cash. As the male victim left the room to get the cash, he dialed 911 and left the line open.

Connolly was indicted in November of 2021 before the case proceeded to trial earlier this month. Following a little more than two weeks of proceedings before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn, the jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday afternoon.

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