In the late hours of a Saturday night in Woodbury, New Jersey, on August 11, 2018, the life of 32-year-old Misael Ruiz Garcia was tragically cut short. Just after 11:30 p.m., police were called to a residence on East Centre Street where they discovered Garcia’s body outside of his home. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed that the manner of his death was a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a home invasion. It was revealed that two individuals had entered a Woodbury home, stealing cash and cellphones from three people inside, one of whom was Misael Ruiz Garcia. After the robbery, Garcia followed one of the suspects out of the residence and across the street. In a sudden and violent turn of events, the suspect shot Garcia at point-blank range.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing a suspect flee the scene on foot after hearing a single gunshot.
Within two days of the incident, authorities apprehended the first suspect. Thadius Wyatt Oswald, a 19-year-old factory worker from Paulsboro, was taken into custody in Gloucester City by members of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office Fugitive Unit and the U.S. Marshal’s Service New York-New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. Oswald was initially charged with a range of serious offenses, including first-degree murder, robbery, burglary, and weapons offenses. The investigation continued, leading to the arrest of a second man, 21-year-old Corey Grier of Woodbury, in January of the following year. Grier faced charges of first-degree felony murder, robbery, burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit robbery for his role in the deadly home invasion.
The legal proceedings that followed brought some measure of closure to the case. Thadius Oswald later pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and, expressing remorse for his actions, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Corey Grier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and was expected to receive an eight-year prison term for his involvement.
