Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief Michael E. Lloyd of the Monroe Township Police Department said today that a township man has been arrested and charged with killing his stepfather.
Joao C. Torres, 26, was charged with the murder of Christopher Ernst Sr., 46, who was found dead in a garage room of a home they shared on Garvey Drive in Monroe Township.
Torres also was charged with obstruction and resisting arrest for fleeing after killing his father. The defendant was arrested after police found him in a wooded area located several miles from the home.
Torres is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick.
The case is being investigated by Detective Joseph Silvestri of the Monroe Township Police Department and Detective Craig Marchak of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
During the investigation it was determined that Torres struck his stepfather in the head with an unidentified weapon.
An autopsy by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office described the injuries as chopping wounds to the head.
An investigation ensued after a call was received on Jan. 4th from an individual who was concerned when Torres had failed to report for work.
Police began a search for the defendant after finding the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is active and is continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Silvestri of the Monroe Township Police Department at (732) 521-0222, extension 151, or Detective Marchak of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3254.