Tag Archives: murder

Prosecutor: Monmouth County Man Charged in Fatal VFW Shooting

A Monmouth County man is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with a fatal April 2016 shooting at a township Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post following a funeral repast, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Tuesday.

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Prosecutor: Area Man Arrested, Charged with Long Branch Murder

A young Long Branch man has been arrested and charged in connection with Sunday’s shooting death in city and could face life in prison, if convicted, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Friday.

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Prosecutor: Neighbor Charged in Keansburg Girl’s Murder

An upstairs neighbor is charged with the murder of 11-year-old Abbiegail Smith in Keansburg and ordered to be held with out bail at an initial appearance on Friday, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

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Prosecutor: Area Couple Indicted in February Murder

An area couple has been indicted on several charges and could face life in prison in connection with the February murder of Trupal Patel whose body was discovered on the side of the road in Shark River Park, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Monday.

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Prosecutor: One Guilty Plea in Sarah Stern Murder

As part of a plea agreement, one of two area teen suspects implicated in the Sarah Stern murder agreed to testify against the co-defendant in exchange for a guilty plea to seven charges, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said in a released statement.

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Prosecutor: Two Teens Charged in Connection with Sarah Stern Murder

A press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office …

Two Neptune City teens have been charged in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Sarah Stern, who has been missing since early December, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

The arrests end a nearly two-month-long search for the missing teen, last seen alive on Dec. 2.

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Prosecutor: Area Man Pleads Guilty to 2014 Murder of Pregnant Girlfriend

An area man pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the 2014 strangulation death of his pregnant girlfriend and faces up to 28 years in prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced in a released statement.

Sender Neftali Villatoro-Reyes, 27, of Freehold Borough entered his guilty plea before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Richard W. English.

The case background … 

On Friday, May 16, 2014, at 2:15 a.m., Villatoro-Reyes called 911 and reported that he killed his 30-year-old girlfriend, Lucenay Fermin Gallegos, at their 51 Hudson Street Apt. #3 home in Freehold Borough.

Police responded to the scene where they found Fermin Gallegos dead on the couch in their apartment. She was pronounced at 3:27 a.m. by Dr. Spiegel at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. An autopsy was conducted the same day by Middlesex County Medical Examiner Diane Karluk.

The cause of death was deemed asphyxia due to manual strangulation. The victim was approximately five months pregnant at the time of her death.

The Freehold Borough Police Department and Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit conducted a joint investigation.

Villatoro-Reyes was arrested and charged with murder the same day. The defendant was originally indicted by a grand jury on March 23, 2015, for one count of murder.

At his plea before Judge English, Villatoro-Reyes admitted that he during an argument with the victim, the defendant placed his hands around her throat, strangling her to death.

Pursuant to the plea agreement, the state is recommending a sentence of 28 years in a state prison. Subject to the No Early Release Act, Villatoro-Reyes must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole; in addition, he will be under parole supervision for five years once released.

Villatoro-Reyes is scheduled for sentencing on April 21, 2017 before Judge English.

Villatoro-Reyes is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $1 million bail with no 10 percent option.

Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Jennifer Lipp and Julia Alonso handled the case.

Villatoro-Reyes is represented by Allison Friedman, Esq., of Freehold.

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

Prosecutor: Long Branch Murder Conviction Yields Life Prison Sentence; No Parole

An Ocean County man convicted last week of the murder and robbery of a Point Pleasant man was sentenced today to Life in prison without parole, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Thursday.

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Prosecutor: Missing Woman Found Dead, Buried; Two Face Murder Charges

The prosecutors in Monmouth and Union counties jointly announced on Wednesday that an area man and woman have been charged with the murder of a Union County woman who went missing in March and was found, after an extensive search and investigation, to have been killed and buried in Long Branch.

Detectives on the night of Aug. 16 discovered the body of Tyrita R. Julius, 41, who has been missing since March 8, the authorities said.

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Prosecutor: Four Men Indicted in Red Bank Teacher’s Murder

A Monmouth County grand jury returned a nine-count indictment against four men charged with the 2009 killing of a beloved Red Bank school teacher found dead in her Neptune City apartment, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Monday.

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