In the quiet seaside city of Long Branch, New Jersey, a horrific tragedy unfolded on September 1, 2015, forever marking a home on Joline Avenue with sorrow. Inside, four-year-old Brian Beharry, a young male, lost his life in a devastating act of violence that also claimed his mother and older brother. The tranquility of their neighborhood was shattered by the flashing lights of fire trucks and emergency vehicles responding to a late-night blaze that would reveal a scene of unimaginable
horror.
When firefighters were finally able to suppress the flames and enter the second-floor of the residence, they discovered the bodies of Brian, his seven-year-old brother Brandon Beharry, their 29-year-old mother Amanda Morris, and their 35-year-old father, Lyndon Beharry. The subsequent investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office uncovered a grim truth: the fire was not a tragic accident but a deliberate act to conceal a murder-suicide. It was determined that Lyndon Beharry, a 16-year employee of the Long Branch Public Works Department, had shot his family before setting the house on fire and then turning the gun on himself.
The community was left in shock, struggling to comprehend what could have led to such a catastrophic event. Neighbors remembered the family, originally from Trinidad, as loving and dedicated parents, making the violent end to their lives all the more difficult to accept. While some recalled seeing the couple arguing in the days leading up to the fire, others who were close to the family saw no signs of the impending doom. Autopsies later confirmed the brutal details of the crime. Brian Beharry's cause of death was ruled a homicide, resulting from gunshot wounds to the torso, with smoke inhalation and thermal injuries being contributing factors. His mother and brother also died from a combination of gunshot wounds and injuries sustained in the fire. The investigation concluded that Lyndon Beharry was the sole perpetrator, and with his death, the case was closed, leaving a community to mourn the senseless loss of innocent lives.
