In the quiet evening of November 2, 2020, the life of 34-year-old Denny Sanchez of Franklin Park, New Jersey, was tragically cut short. That night, Sanchez was inside a barbershop on Hamilton Street in the Somerset section of Franklin Township when violence erupted. Around 8:40 p.m., multiple 911 calls flooded the Franklin Township Police Department, reporting a shooting at the establishment. When officers arrived, they found Sanchez suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency medical personnel administered life-saving measures before rushing him to a local trauma center, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation that followed, a collaborative effort between the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit and the Franklin Township Police Department, spanned two months and led detectives across state lines. Their efforts culminated in the arrests of two men: Todd C. Smith, 30, of Edison, New Jersey, and Tayyab A.
Ware, 30, of Augusta, Georgia. Smith was apprehended on December 22, 2020, in a shopping area in Clark, New Jersey, and was found to be in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest. Eight days later, on December 30, detectives, with the assistance of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office and the FBI, located and arrested Ware at a residence in Augusta, Georgia.
Both men were charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and weapons-related offenses. The investigation revealed that the motive for the deadly encounter was robbery. During the incident, two men entered the barbershop, one of them brandishing a gun, and announced a robbery. In the course of the crime, money was taken, and Denny Sanchez was fatally shot. In May 2022, both men were sentenced for their roles in the crime. Tayyab A. Ware was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery, among other charges, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. His co-defendant, Todd C. Smith, pleaded guilty to robbery and received a 10-year prison sentence.
