Somerset County Officials reported that Ryan D. Keogh was sentenced by the Honorable Peter J. Tober, P.J.Cr. on Friday, August 26, 2022 for the murder of Terrence Coulanges, and related offense following the guilty verdicts returned by a petit jury on April 26.
Assistant Prosecutors Frank P. Kolodzieski II and Natacha Despinos-Peavey represented the State at trial and during all related proceedings.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that prior to imposing sentence; Judge Tober denied defendant’s motion for a judgment of acquittal and for a new trial and sentenced Keogh to the following:
• On Count One for first degree murder, Judge Tober imposed a 50 year term of imprisonment.
• On Count Two for possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, Judge Tober merged that count into Count One for purposes of sentencing.
• On Count Three for hindering oneself in the third degree, defendant was sentenced to 5 years in prison concurrent to the term imposed for murder and the other counts.
• On Count Four for third degree endangering an injured victim, the defendant was given a 3 year term in prison to be served consecutive to the term imposed for murder. This term was consecutive under New Jersey Statutes.
• On Counts Five, Six, Eight, Nine for fourth degree false swearing, defendant was sentenced to 18 months in prison concurrent to the sentence imposed for murder and other counts. Defendant was acquitted on false swearing in Count Seven.
• On Count Ten for fourth degree tampering with physical evidence, defendant was sentenced to 18 months in prison concurrent to the sentence imposed for murder and other counts.
• Lastly, on Count Eleven for fourth degree possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine, defendant received a concurrent 18 month sentence.
Judge Tober also ordered the payment of fines, penalties and restitution.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that on January 9, 2019, at approximately 7:36 p.m., the Middlesex Borough Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting shots fired and a gunshot wound victim at a residence on Farm Lane, Bound Brook.
Middlesex Borough authorities relayed the call to the Bound Brook Police who responded and located Terrence C. Coulanges, 29, of Old Bridge, outside the residence with gunshot wounds to the right thigh and left chest.
Responding officers, along with medical personnel initiated life saving measures and subsequently transported the victim to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, N. J. where he was pronounced deceased.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigation Unit responded to the scene, along with detectives from the Bound Brook Police Department to conduct further investigation.
Investigators interviewed numerous neighbors who reported hearing what turned out to be gunshots at 5:45 p.m.
The investigation determined that defendant Ryan Keogh, along with his parents, left the residence on Farm Lane for a period of time after Mr. Coulanges was shot and before Cindy Keogh placed the 9-1-1 call at 7:36 p.m.
After defendant shot Mr. Coulanges, the police were not called until 1 hour and 51 minutes had passed. Mr. Coulanges was found to have died as the result of gunshot wounds to the chest and thigh.
The Medical Examiner found the cause of death to be gunshot wounds and homicide to be the manner of death.
Defendant Keogh was arrested on February 14, 2019 following an investigation conducted by several law enforcement agencies, namely, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes and Crimes Scene Investigation Units, the Bound Brook Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.