Two Monmouth County men arrested, charged for double-homicide in Neptune, NJ

Two men, who live in the Bayshore region of Monmouth County, have been arrested and charged for their roles in the murders of two residents in Neptune Township, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.

On Wednesday January 19, around 8:15 pm, Neptune Township Police responded to a report of a shooting on the 1300 block of Washington Avenue and, once there, found two people with gunshot wounds in a parked vehicle.

Police said that 18-year old Samore Edwards of Plainfield was pronounced dead at the scene while 19-year old Isaiah Williams of New Brunswick was brought to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

As the investigation continued into the shooting, Neptune Township Police were joined on the case by Keansburg Police, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, and Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and then, Gabriel Braithwaite, 19, of Keansburg and Jerod Dearin, 22, of the Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen, were identified as the suspects in the shooting.

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Following their arrests today, Dearin and Braithwaite have each been 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 Edwards and Williams.

“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 Linskey said in a statement.

Acting Prosecutor Linskey said that "convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of up to life in state prison."

This case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Matthew Bogner and Stephanie Dugan.

If you have any information on this shooting, you're urged to contact Monmouth County 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, extension 408.