In the early morning hours of July 10, 2024, the life of 36-year-old Mikal Alif Muhammad, a man of Middle Eastern/Arab descent, was tragically cut short in a hail of gunfire on a sidewalk in Red Bank, New Jersey. Muhammad, a talented sound engineer and the owner of 27 Sounds recording studio, was visiting friends in his former hometown, having moved to California. The shooting, which occurred at approximately 3:13 a.m. on the 100 block of River Street, also left another man wounded, though he was later treated and released from a local hospital. Muhammad, a father to a young son, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation that followed what prosecutors would later describe as a 'cold-blooded execution' delved into a long-standing and violent feud between two local families, a conflict likened to the historic Hatfields and McCoys. Authorities believe Muhammad's murder was a calculated act of violence stemming from this ongoing dispute.
The investigation, a collaborative effort between the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Red Bank Police Department, led to the identification of several individuals allegedly responsible for orchestrating and carrying out the attack.
Four individuals were subsequently arrested and faced a range of serious charges for their alleged roles in the killing. Lahmeir C. Hill, 31, and Sadiq Palmer, 25, were charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder, with prosecutors identifying them as the gunmen. Simone K. Moultrie, 53, was also charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, accused of acting as a spotter for the shooters, allegedly making numerous calls to alert them of Muhammad's location in the hours leading up to the shooting. A fourth individual, 29-year-old Ticco K. Griffin, was charged with hindering the investigation. All four were taken into custody and held at the Monmouth County Jail.
