Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that the Honorable Rochelle Gizinski, J.S.C., sentenced Conrad R. Sipa to a term of 40 years in New Jersey State Prison on June 14, in connection with the murder of Richard P. Doody, Jr.
Officials said this sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act, which means that Sipa must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
Officials say Sipa was found guilty on April 4, of murdering Mr. Doody at the conclusion of a two-week jury trial.
The murder occurred sometime between November 21st and 23rd, 2015, in the Borough of Barnegat Light.
The jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that Sipa purposely or knowingly caused the death of Mr. Doody, or that he purposely or knowingly caused serious bodily injury to Mr. Doody which resulted in Mr. Doody’s death.
The jury also determined that Sipa employed the use of deadly weapons, specifically a knife and a lamp, in the commission of the murder.
In addition to being found guilty of murder, the jury found Sipa guilty of two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon; these counts were merged into the murder sentence as a matter of law.
As to the jury’s finding of guilt on the counts alleging hindering apprehension/prosecution as well as tampering with physical evidence, Judge Gizinksi sentenced Sipa to a consecutive term of 5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
As such, Sipa’s net sentence is 45 years in New Jersey State Prison.
Prosecutor Billhimer extends his gratitude to Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Sheehan and Senior Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill, who together tried the case on behalf of the State, for their skill and dedication in prosecuting this tragic matter. Prosecutor Billhimer stated,
“This was a brutal and senseless murder. I am grateful not only for the tireless efforts of Assistant Prosecutors Sheehan and O’Neill, but for the hard work demonstrated by Detective John Murphy and the entire staff of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, as well as Detective Sergeant Ron Hullings and the entire Long Beach Township Police Department, for their collaborative efforts investigating and solving this heinous crime.”
Prosecutor Billhimer also thanks Allison Betts, a Victim-Witness Advocate for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, for the compassion and assistance demonstrated toward the family of Richard Doody over the last four years.
“Hopefully this very lengthy prison sentence, which amounts to a life sentence due to Sipa’s age, brings some measure of closure to Mr. Doody’s friends and family, many of whom were present throughout the trial and today,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.