NJ father and teen accused of murder in beating ‘fierce protector’ dad

🔺 Fight turns deadly
🔺NJ victim hit with bat, flashlight
🔺Teen also charged with assaulting victim’s daughter

A 55-year-old Millville man and his teen son have been accused of murder in the Easter beating death of a 54-year-old father.

Eric D. Hannah and the 17-year-old male juvenile, known by initials “J.H.” both face homicide and weapons offenses in connection with the death of Louis “Gus” Serbeck.

The teen, J.H. was also separately charged with the aggravated assault of Serbeck’s daughter.

Serbeck’s daughter told police that she had been assaulted by the teen at the Hannah residence on Saturday and that her dad wanted to go talk to Hannah on Sunday.

The teen came to the front door, she told police, and punched Serbeck in the face, according to an affidavit of probable cause in the case.

She said her dad backed away as the teen picked up a metal baseball bat and walked to break a passenger window of Serbeck’s vehicle.

As Serbeck tried to stop further damage to his vehicle, the teen then allegedly began attacking him again, hitting Serbeck in the head several times with the bat, the affidavit said.

Hannah then allegedly joined the fight, also hitting Serbeck in the head with a metal flashlight.

Serbeck’s daughter was also hit in the head by the teen during the chaos, police said.

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Police said cell phone video submitted to them shows Hannah and his son approaching Serbeck as he is leaning against a pickup truck in the yard.

The teen is allegedly holding a hammer above his head, while Hannah is holding both the bat and the flashlight, the affidavit said.

Serbeck then wound up collapsing near his driver’s side door, before Vineland police and emergency first responders arrived at the scene.

He died on the way to being treated at the hospital.

Serbeck was mourned as a “fierce protector” whose “daughters and grandsons were his pride and joy,” according to an online obituary.

A GoFundMe campaign setup by his younger daughter’s friend was also raising donations for the Serbeck family.

Hannah was being held in Cumberland County Jail, pending a detention hearing on Friday.

J.H. was also detained in a juvenile facility.

Hannah was arrested a year ago for possession of methamphetamine and was indicted on that charge last week.

In that case he is represented by a public defender.

He was being represented in the homicide case by a pool attorney, William Popjoy the third.

Pool attorneys are contracted by the Office of the Public Defender to represent clients, primarily when the public defender’ office cannot due to conflicts of interest or other reasons.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation was urged to contact Detective Christopher Fixler of the Vineland Police Department at 856-691-4111.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously at njccpo.gov/tips.

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