By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Ocean County announced that Tyshaun Drummond, 42, of Toms River, was sentenced by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) - with a 30-year period of parole ineligibility - in connection with the murder of Nicholas Hardy, 36, of Toms River.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that additionally, Judge Ryan sentenced Drummond to 30 years NJSP - likewise with 30 years of parole ineligibility - in connection with the murder of Sergio Chavez-Perez, 32, of Lakewood.
Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said that both murders occurred on December 19, 2021, in Lakewood, and the sentences will run consecutively.
Drummond was found guilty of two counts of Murder following a nearly month-long jury trial before Judge Ryan, officials said.
Ocean County officials said that the jury also found Drummond guilty of Burglary; Judge Ryan sentenced Drummond to 10 years NJSP on the Burglary count, which will run concurrently with the sentences imposed on the Murder convictions.
According to Ocean County authorities, on December 19, 2021, at approximately 7:20 a.m., officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department were summoned to an apartment complex on River Avenue for a report of shots having been fired.
Police Dispatch was able to supply the Officers with a description of the suspect who fired the shots, officials say.
Lakewood Township police said that responding Officers located an individual matching the description - later identified as Drummond - in front of the apartment complex.
Officers ordered Drummond to lie on the ground; when Drummond refused to comply, he was subdued by way of a department-issued Conducted Energy Device (CED), Ocean County officials stated.
Police say upon entering the apartment building, Officers discovered the deceased bodies of Nicholas Hardy and Sergio Chavez-Perez; both men were observed to have been shot in the head.
According to Ocean County authorities, an ensuing investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit identified Drummond as the individual responsible for the victims’ deaths.
Drummond has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his release from a local hospital on December 21, 2021, County officials said.