Two people were charged Wednesday for their respective roles in three 2011 home invasion robberies, including one that led to the murder of one of their victims in Freehold Township, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Ranu Sinha, 36, of Precedent Place of Manalapan, and Ellis W. Goodson, 38, of Newgate Lane of Neptune, are each charged with three counts of first degree Robbery, one count of first degree felony murder, two counts of second degree unlawful possession of a weapon, two counts of third degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and one count of fourth degree possession of an imitation firearm.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Freehold, Howell and Neptune Township police departments led to the arrests of Sinha and Goodson.
The Manalapan Township Police Department also assisted in yesterday’s arrests of Sinha and Goodson. Both are charged as accomplices to Jeffrey Mayhue, 52, and Richard Busby, 58, both of Newark, in connection with three home invasion robberies at residences in Howell, Freehold and Neptune Township.
Michael Conway was murdered at his Jackson Mills Road residence in Freehold during the course of the home invasion spree that took place between May 14, 2011 and Sept. 8, 2011.
During the first home invasion robbery that occurred at a residence on Brickyard Road in Howell, Mayhue entered the residence with a handgun, bound the occupants and stole a large sum of money. Sinha and Goodson are being charged as accomplices to those crimes.
The second event occurred on July 31, 2011, when Sinha, Goodson, Mayhue and Busby committed the home invasion robbery and murder of Michael Conway. Mayhue and Busby were armed with a handgun and looking for money when they entered Conway’s home and discovered it was occupied by their would-be victim and his girlfriend during the early morning hours of July 31, 2011. Mayhue and Busby killed Conway, set fire to the house and fled the scene.
Conway’s girlfriend was able to escape from the burning house through a window, ran to a neighbor’s house, and requested the neighbor call 911.
In connection with this offense, Mayhue and Busby were indicted by a grand jury in November 2012, charging the pair with one count each of Murder, Felony Murder, Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery, Aggravated Arson, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons.
Sinha and Goodson will now join Mayhue and Busby for their roles in the robbery and Conway’s murder. The third robbery occurred on September 8, 2011, when Mayhue forcibly entered a residence on Drummond Avenue in Neptune Township brandishing what appeared to be a handgun.
The robbery was thwarted by the victims who held Mayhue until police arrived on scene. In connection with this offense, Mayhue was indicted on charges of Armed Robbery and Possession of an Imitation Firearm. Sinha and Goodson will now join Mayhue for their roles in this robbery.
Sinha and Goodson are each being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, on $1.5 million cash-only bail, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen.
If convicted of murder, Sinha and Goodson each face a minimum sentence of 30 years in a New Jersey state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, subject to the provisions of the "No Early Release Act" (NERA) requiring them both to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. Both would also be under parole supervision for five years following their respective release from state prison.
If convicted of robbery, they each face up to 20 years in state prison, subject to the provisions of “NERA.” If convicted of possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose, they would each face a sentence of five to ten years in prison. If convicted of unlawful possession of a handgun, Sinha and Goodson would each face five to ten years in state prison with a period of up to three years of parole ineligibility.
If convicted of Possession of an Imitation Firearm, Sinha and Goodson each face up to 18 months in state prison.