In the quiet senior community of Leisure Village West in Manchester, New Jersey, a grim discovery was made on July 1, 2019. Igal Hedad, a 71-year-old male from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was found lying face down in the street on Cambridge Circle. He was bleeding from his head, having sustained gunshot wounds to his back, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Responding officers from the Manchester Township Police Department observed what appeared to be a bullet hole in the front door of a nearby residence. The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Regional SWAT Team was called to the scene and entered the home, but found it unoccupied. The investigation quickly identified the resident of the home as Thomas Hatchett.
Authorities discovered that Hatchett also had a residence in Verona, New Jersey.
The Verona Police Department was contacted and located Hatchett, taking him to their headquarters for questioning by detectives from both Manchester and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. Following the interview, Hatchett was arrested and charged in connection with Hedad's death.
Thomas Hatchett, who was 86 at the time of the incident, was charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. In October 2020, at the age of 88, Hatchett pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter. In January 2021, he was sentenced to ten years in New Jersey State Prison. Under the terms of the No Early Release Act, he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Prosecutors described the killing as a 'brutal and senseless act.'
