Two men are facing murder and robbery charges in connection to a 2008 cold case in New Jersey, according to officials.
36-year-old Breyon Goodman and 41-year-old Jason Howard have been named as the suspects involved in the robbery and deadly beating of Ewing Township man Leroy Julious, prosecutors said.
“For 16 years the senseless, cruel death of Leroy Julious has gone unsolved,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “But law enforcement did not forget, and did not give up. We hope the charges bring a measure of relief to the victim’s grieving loved ones.”
Goodman and Howard have each been charged with murder, felony murder and robbery, officials said. Goodman was arrested on April 15 and Howard was served his charges in the state of Rhode Island where he is currently in prison for an unrelated incident.
Robbery turns deadly
On May 9, 2008, Police in Ewing, New Jersey, were called to a scene where a victim, later identified as Leroy Julious, was hurt and bleeding on the ground, prosecutors said.
When officers got to the scene, they found a car that was parked diagonally in front of a home with multiple people standing outside, officials said.
One of those people was Jason Howard who was standing by the open driver’s door of the car, police said.
The witnesses were able to show the officers where the victim, Julious, was lying in a gravel lot on the ground, according to police.
Police said that Julious had severe head trauma with blood on his face, head and neck. They noticed that his pockets were turned inside out.
Officials pronounced Julious as dead at the scene.
The investigation
As officials worked to investigate the case, they concluded that robbery was the motive behind the deadly incident.
Investigators say they learned that Leroy Julious was known to always have money in his wallet. It was noted that his wallet was not on him when he was found on the ground.
The attack on Julious is believed to have happened in the garage carport of a house nearby before he was dragged to the gravel lot, officials said.
The case went cold for about fifteen years before new information was brought to the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and investigators reopened the case.
In the fall of 2023, all of the physical evidence was resubmitted to an investigative laboratory which led to new information thanks to technological advancements, officials said.
Emily Rose Grassi
Source link
