In the early morning hours of a Sunday in March 2015, the life of 20-year-old Kevin D. Peterson, Jr. was tragically cut short in Vineland, New Jersey. Gunshots shattered the predawn quiet on the 100 block of West Grape Street, prompting a response from the Vineland Police Department. Upon their arrival, officers discovered a grim scene with a vehicle containing three people and one person outside. Inside the car, Kevin Peterson had been shot four times.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically succumbed to his injuries. Another man, Damian Mills, was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman in the vehicle had been shot in the leg, while a fourth female passenger was unharmed.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to two suspects, Sheldon M. Goldsborough, Sr. and his associate, Michael R. Loftin, Jr. A crucial piece of evidence, a flip phone, was found near the shell casings and the victims' car. This phone was traced to Loftin, and DNA found on it was a positive match to him. Phone records also placed Goldsborough and Loftin together at the time of the shooting, with Goldsborough's cell phone signal pinging a tower near the crime scene.
Years later, justice was served for the death of Kevin Peterson. Sheldon M. Goldsborough, Sr., at the age of 44, was sentenced to 45 years in state prison for his role in the fatal shooting. His sentence included convictions for first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree reckless manslaughter. He will be required to serve over 38 years of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. His co-conspirator, Michael R. Loftin, Jr., was sentenced to 20 years in prison on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. Though Goldsborough was acquitted of the original murder charges, the lengthy prison sentence brought a measure of closure to a case that had lingered for years.
