Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey announced that a grand jury in Middlesex County indicted a North Brunswick man today on charges of fatally shooting his next-door neighbor, and charged the defendant’s companion with hindering the investigation.
Roland E. Amos, 38, of Schmidt Lane in North Brunswick was indicted in New Brunswick on a charge of murder on September 1, 2014 of Brian A. Hoey, 43.
The grand jury, sitting in New Brunswick, also charged Amos with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, two counts of witness tampering for having another unnamed individual give false information to police during their investigation, and three counts of hindering his own apprehension.
Amos’ live-in companion, Zoraida Rodriguez, 41, was indicted on a charge of hindering the apprehension of Amos by providing him information in an attempt to help him avoid arrest.
A separate indictment accused Amos of being a certain person not to have weapons, since he had been previously convicted in an unrelated case.
The indictments were handed up following a presentation to the grand jury by Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine D’Elia.
The two defendants were arrested on the evening of October 2, 2014 following an intensive month-long investigation by Detective Robert Powell of the North Brunswick Police Department and Detective Gregory Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The investigation began after police were called to the victim’s home at the Belcourt Townhomes at Hidden Lake at 1:26 a.m. on September 1, 2014.
Amos was arrested at approximately 7 p.m. on October 2, 2014 as he left his job in Middlesex Borough. Members of the North Brunswick Police Department, the Middlesex Borough Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office participated in the arrest.
Rodriguez was charged at about 10 p.m. at North Brunswick Police Department headquarters.
The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Powell of the North Brunswick Police Department at (732) 247-0922, extension 313, or Detective Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3904.
Photo: Roland E. Amos