Prosecutor: Pair Arrested, Charged in January Double Homicide

Two Bayshore men have been arrested and charged in connection with the January double homicide in Neptune Township, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Friday.

Gabriel Braithwaite, 19, of Keansburg and Jerod Dearin, 22, of the Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen are both charged with: two counts of first-degree murder and single counts of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, two related second-degree weapons offenses, and third-degree hindering apprehension in connection with the deaths of 18-year-old Samore Edwards of Plainfield and 19-year-old Isaiah Williams of New Brunswick.

The case background …

Shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, Neptune Township police responded to the 1300 block of Washington Avenue on a report of a shooting, according to the preliminary investigation.

At that location, officers found the two victims in a parked vehicle. Edwards was pronounced dead at the scene. Williams was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

An investigation involving members of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the Neptune Township Police Department, the Keansburg Police Department, and the Aberdeen Police Department resulted in Braithwaite and Dearin being identified as suspects in the case. They were taken into custody without incident earlier today.

“This was a brazen and brutal crime, and the swiftness with which it was investigated and these defendants apprehended is a testament to the quality of no small amount of stellar collaborative work.”
Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey

Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of up to life in state prison.

Anyone with any information about this case is still being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Christopher Guy toll-free at 1-800-533-7443 or Neptune Township Police Department Detective Darell Harris at 732-988-8000, Ext. 408.

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