A Mays Landing man was arrested today for the murder of a Trenton man in Hamilton Township on Christmas Eve, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
Tyrone V. Hilley, 23, of the 4600 block of Ocean Heights Avenue, Mays Landing, was arrested today by detectives of the Hamilton Township Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, charged with:
* Murder—a crime of the 1st degree,
* Unlawful Possession of a .40 caliber handgun—a 2nd degree crime,
* Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose—a 2nd degree crime,
* Possession of a Firearm while in the course of committing a crime of possession of heroin with intent to distribute—a 2rd degree crime,
* Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons (convicted of an enumerated offense)—a 2nd degree crime,
* Possession of heroin with the intent to distribute—3rd degree crime, and
* Possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute—3rd degree.
* In response to a 9-1-1 call, Township of Hamilton Police responded on Thursday, December 24, 2015, at 9:39 p.m. to Ocean Heights Avenue near the intersection of Salma Terrace, for a report of gunshots.
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* Upon arrival, police found Marquis T. Smith, 25, of Brunswick Avenue, Trenton, the victim of a shooting.
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* Emergency responders transported Smith to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center—Mainland Division, where he was later pronounced dead at 10:26 p.m.
* The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit also responded to the scene. Next-of-kin were notified.
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An autopsy performed by the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office Dr. Gerald Feigin on December 26, 2015 determined that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death: homicide.
An intensive two-week investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Township of Hamilton Police Department Detective Bureau led to Hilley’s arrest this morning without incident at a Philadelphia Village apartment in Egg Harbor City.
Hilley was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $1,000,000 full cash bail, set by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury.
A conviction for murder carries a potential sentence of incarceration in New Jersey State Prison for a period of 30 years to life. The potential penalty a 2nd degree conviction is 5-10 years of imprisonment, and the potential prison penalty for a 3rd degree conviction is 3-5 years.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666. Witnesses may also contact the Hamilton Township Police Department at (609)-625-2700.