In the late hours of a September night in Long Branch, New Jersey, a devastating fire engulfed a family home on Joline Avenue, leading to the tragic discovery of four lives lost. Seven-year-old Brandon Beharry, his four-year-old brother Brian, and their 29-year-old mother, Amanda Morris, were all found deceased in a second-floor bedroom. The investigation into the blaze would soon reveal a harrowing story of domestic violence that culminated in a murder-suicide.
Authorities determined
that on September 1, 2015, Lyndon Beharry, the 35-year-old father of the two boys and a longtime employee of the Long Branch Public Works Department, was the perpetrator of the horrific event. Evidence showed that Lyndon shot his partner Amanda and their two young sons before setting their house on fire. After committing these acts, he then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life. Firefighters who responded to the two-alarm fire were met with a wall of smoke and flames, and tragically, their efforts to reach the second floor were initially unsuccessful.
The autopsies revealed the brutal details of their final moments. Brandon Beharry and his mother, Amanda Morris, died from a combination of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, with gunshot wounds being a contributing factor. The youngest victim, four-year-old Brian Beharry, died from gunshot wounds to his torso, with the fire's effects also contributing to his death. Lyndon Beharry’s death was ruled a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The entire community was left in shock, with neighbors and the city's mayor expressing their disbelief and sorrow over the loss of a family that had been described as loving and dedicated parents. While a neighbor reported hearing the couple arguing a day before the fire, a motive for the devastating act was never fully determined.
