Two suspects charged in fatal double shooting outside Bordentown Township convenience store
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP, NJ – A month-long investigation into a deadly shooting outside a Route 130 convenience store has led to charges against two men accused of killing two victims during a late-night encounter that ended with a crashed getaway vehicle and a multi-agency search.
Authorities charged 23-year-old Justford Doe of Philadelphia and 21-year-old Giovanni Varanese of Cherry Hill with multiple offenses, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, robbery, and several weapons charges. Both men are currently being held inside the Philadelphia Department of Prisons on unrelated cases and were served with warrants there. Prosecutors plan to seek their extradition to New Jersey, where the case will be prepared for a Burlington County grand jury.
The investigation began on November 5 at approximately 11:30 p.m. after a man who had been shot in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven and Valero station at Route 130 and Farnsworth Avenue staggered inside the store seeking help. The victim, 22-year-old Daniel Patterson of Philadelphia, collapsed shortly after exiting and died at the scene.
A second victim, 21-year-old Mason Knott of Wrightstown, was located nearby and transported to a hospital in Trenton, where he later died. Autopsy findings determined Patterson suffered multiple gunshot wounds, while Knott died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators said the suspects fled the scene in a Jeep and later crashed the vehicle in Florence Township before continuing on foot. Tracking dogs were deployed at the crash site as multiple departments assisted in the search.
The case was developed through coordinated work by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Bordentown Township Police, Florence Township Police, and additional supporting agencies from Bordentown City, the New Jersey State Police, Mount Laurel, and Pemberton Township. Lead investigators include detectives from the Prosecutor’s Office and Bordentown Township Police. Prosecutors indicated the case will be handled by the Major Crimes Unit.
——
Key Points
- Two men from Philadelphia and Cherry Hill were charged in a double homicide outside a Bordentown Township convenience store
- Victims Daniel Patterson and Mason Knott died from gunshot wounds after the November 5 shooting
- Suspects fled in a Jeep that later crashed, prompting a foot search and multi-agency investigation
