Prosecutor: Two Teens Indicted on Murder Charges in 2022 Fatal Shooting; 17-Year-Old to be Tried as Adult

Two teens have been indicted on first-degree murder charges stemming from a 2022 Asbury Park fatal shooting incident. One, a juvenile, will be tried as an adult, the court decided, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday.

“We do not take any decision to seek to waive a juvenile defendant up to adult court lightly — many factors are carefully weighed, including the severity of the crime, the precise age of the defendant, and the degree of the defendant’s culpability,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “In this case, considering that a life was taken in such intentional and violent fashion, we strongly believe that this waiver serves the interests of justice.”

Lydell Brown, 19, and Joseph Argilagos, 17, whose identity had previously been withheld due to his age, are both charged with first-degree murder and two related second-degree weapons offenses.

The case background …

Shortly after 5:45 p.m. on Friday, July 8, Asbury Park police responded to a report of gunfire originating from the 100 block of Prospect Avenue, near the intersection with Atlantic.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers found 19-year-old Dariel Vernet, of Asbury Park, who had sustained multiple gunshot injuries. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about one hour later.

The investigation into Vernet’s death, led by members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office’s Major Crimes Bureau and the Asbury Park Police Department, resulted in Brown and Argilagos, both of Asbury Park, being identified as the individuals responsible. Argilagos was apprehended just days after the shooting, and Brown was found and arrested without incident in Toms River in May of 2023 by members of the Prosecutor’s Office, Asbury Park police, and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.

The Prosecutor’s Office filed motions to keep both defendants detained pending the outcome of the case against them.

Anyone with information about this matter is still urged to contact MCPO Detective Sergeant Christopher Guy at 800-533-7443 or Asbury Park Police Department Detective Anthony Troublefield at 732-774-1300.

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