On a cold January evening in Neptune, New Jersey, the life of 19-year-old Isaiah Williams of New Brunswick was tragically cut short. On January 19, 2022, Neptune Township Police responded to a report of a shooting on the 1300 block of Washington Avenue shortly after 8:00 p.m. Arriving at the scene, officers discovered Williams and 18-year-old Samore Edwards of Plainfield inside a parked vehicle, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Edwards was pronounced dead at the scene, while Williams was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
The investigation that followed was a collaborative effort involving the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, and the Neptune and Keansburg Police Departments. Less than a month after the incident, authorities arrested two men in connection with what they described as a 'brazen and brutal' and 'execution-style' double homicide.
The suspects were identified as Gabriel J. Braithwaite, then 19, of Keansburg, and Jeron D. Dearin, then 22, of Aberdeen.
Braithwaite and Dearin were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and related weapons offenses. Investigators determined that Braithwaite was the triggerman who ambushed the two unarmed victims, while Dearin served as the getaway driver. In the face of the evidence against them, both men eventually pleaded guilty. Braithwaite admitted to two counts of first-degree murder, and Dearin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. In January 2024, justice was served as Braithwaite was sentenced to a 40-year prison term, and Dearin received a five-year sentence for his role in the senseless killings.
