In a quiet neighborhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the life of Steven Loughney, a 28-year-old male, was abruptly cut short on the evening of Sunday, January 3, 2016. Friends and family were left in a state of shock and disbelief as news spread of his untimely death. Loughney was discovered inside his home on the 200 block of South Metropolitan Avenue by his girlfriend at approximately 9:45 p.m., having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The discovery launched what would become a nine-month-long investigation into the city's first homicide of the new year.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, in conjunction with the Atlantic City Police Department, immediately began piecing together the events that led to the tragic incident. An autopsy later confirmed that Loughney's death was a homicide caused by a shotgun wound to his right groin. As detectives delved deeper into the case, it became apparent that the motive behind the killing was a robbery targeting drugs. This revelation shifted the focus of the investigation, as authorities worked to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the violent act that had taken a well-liked member of the community.
After months of meticulous investigation, a breakthrough came on October 5, 2016, with the arrest of 27-year-old Kevin Quince of Atlantic City. Quince was taken into custody without incident at a restaurant in nearby Pleasantville. He was subsequently charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, and several conspiracy and weapons offenses. The investigation revealed that Quince had targeted Loughney in a plan to rob him of drugs. In June 2018, then 29-year-old Quince pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder and second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to a 12-year term in a New Jersey state prison.
