Pier Village shooting sends teen suspect to adult court as grand jury indicts three
FREEHOLD, NJ – A summer night shooting along the Pier Village beachfront that left an 18-year-old man dead has now resulted in a sweeping indictment against three young men, including a defendant waived into adult court to face a murder charge.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced that a county grand jury returned a seven-count indictment against Dwayne Exilus, 19, Isaiah Z. Walker, 19, and Jahbron J. Goff, 18, in connection with the fatal shooting of Chrystofer A. Whyte of North Brunswick.
Goff, whose identity had previously been withheld due to his age at the time of the incident, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree hindering, and fourth-degree possession of a prohibited weapon.
Exilus and Walker are each charged with second-degree conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree hindering, fourth-degree possession of a prohibited weapon, and one count each of third-degree hindering the apprehension of another.
The charges stem from a June 12 incident when shots rang out near the Chelsea Avenue beach area between the shoreline and boardwalk at Pier Village in Long Branch. Responders found Whyte suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined Goff was responsible for the shooting and that Exilus and Walker assisted in the unlawful possession of firearms and efforts to conceal Goff’s involvement following the killing. Another juvenile was also charged separately in connection with the case.
The investigation was led by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Long Branch Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service New York–New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and multiple municipal police departments.
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner, director of the Major Crimes Bureau, and Assistant Prosecutor Janine Delucia. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Key Points
- Three young men were indicted in a fatal Pier Village shooting
- One defendant was waived to adult court and charged with murder
- The victim was 18-year-old Chrystofer A. Whyte of North Brunswick
