El fiscal del condado de Ocean, Bradley D.. Billhimer anunció que en octubre 7, 2021, a superseding Indictment was returned against Mark J. Austin, 30, del municipio de ladrillo, charging him with Murder in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3a(1), Posesión de un arma para un propósito ilegal en violación de N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4d, y posesión ilegal de un arma en violación de N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5d, relative to the death of his father, Mark Richard Austin, in Brick Township on September 7, 2019. The superseding Indictment charges that Austin procured the commission of the murder of his father by payment or promise of payment of anything of monetary value, an aggravating factor which – if proven beyond a reasonable doubt at the time of trial – requires that Austin be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole eligibility. Austin and his co-defendant, Jeray Melton, 30, of Salem City, were originally indicted in connection with the murder of the victim on December 3, 2019; it was not known at that time that this was a murder for hire situation.
On Saturday, Septiembre 7, 2019, Officers of the Brick Township Police were summoned to a residence on Acorn Drive and discovered the victim’s body. En ese tiempo, it was discovered that the victim had been beaten to death. Following a thorough and extensive investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, Oficina de detectives del Departamento de Policía de Brick Township, y la Unidad de Investigación de la Escena del Crimen de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Ocean, it was determined that Austin and Melton had conspired to kill the victim. Mark J. Austin and Jeray Melton were charged accordingly and taken into custody on September 13, 2019, and have been incarcerated since that date.
Subsequent investigation determined that Austin agreed to pay Melton a sum of money in exchange for killing Mark Richard Austin. On February 25, 2020, Melton pled guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4a before the Honorable Guy P. ryan, JSC. Melton is currently lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending sentencing. Austin remains in in the Ocean County Jail awaiting trial.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Chief Trial Attorney Michael Weatherstone and Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr who are handling the case on behalf of the State, así como la Unidad de Delitos Mayores de la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Ocean, Unidad de Delitos de Alta Tecnología de la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Ocean, Unidad de Delitos Económicos de la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Ocean, Oficina de detectives del Departamento de Policía de Brick Township, Departamento de policía del municipio de Brick, Unidad de Investigación de la Escena del Crimen de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Ocean, Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, Salem City Police Department, New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, New Jersey State Police TEAMS Unit, New Jersey Department of Corrections, Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey, Departamento de policía del municipio de Manchester, Millville Police Department, Bayonne Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their collective and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation.
Los cargos mencionados anteriormente son meras acusaciones y se recuerda a la prensa y al público que todos los acusados se presumen inocentes a menos y hasta que se demuestre su culpabilidad más allá de toda duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia..
RPC. 3.6(b)(6).