FREEHOLD, NJ – Gabriel J. Braithwaite, 21, of Keansburg, and Jeron D. Dearin, 24, of Aberdeen, have been sentenced to 40 and 5 years respectively in state prison for a double homicide in Neptune Township, as announced by Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago on Monday.
The sentence, decreed by Judge Marc C. Lemieux, requires that 85% of the term be served before parole eligibility under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA).
On January 19, 2022, Neptune Township Police Department officers responded to a shooting report at 8:15 p.m. on the 1300 block of Washington Avenue.
They found Samore Edwards, 18, of Plainfield, and Isaiah Williams, 19, of New Brunswick, fatally shot in a vehicle. The investigation, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, revealed Braithwaite as the shooter and Dearin as his accomplice.
Braithwaite pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and a related weapons offense, while Dearin admitted to second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault in July 2023. The plea agreement followed consultations with the victims’ families.