In the early morning hours of August 11, 2023, a sense of unease settled over a condominium complex on Mendrey Court in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Inside one of the homes, 36-year-old Anthony Irizarry, a Hispanic male, was in his living room when violence shattered the quiet of the night. A 911 call reporting a shooting brought Lawrence Township police to the scene around 12:30 a.m. There, they found Irizarry suffering from a gunshot wound to his back. He was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for emergency medical attention, but his life could not be saved, and he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
The investigation into the death of Anthony Irizarry, who was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and had moved to the Trenton area as a child, was launched by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Lawrence Township Police Department. For months, the case remained under active investigation.
Then, in early November 2023, a significant breakthrough was announced by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. A suspect, 37-year-old Paul X. McNeil of Trenton, was identified and charged in connection with Irizarry's death.
At the time the charges were filed, McNeil was already detained at the Mercer County Correction Center on an unrelated matter. He was served with the new charges, which included one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree felony murder, one count of first-degree robbery, and three weapons offenses. While an arrest has been made, authorities have continued to urge anyone with information related to the case to come forward to assist with the ongoing investigation.
