In the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2015, a dispute that began inside a Perth Amboy, New Jersey bar tragically ended the life of 31-year-old Richard Pryce. Known as 'Richie' to his friends and family, Pryce was attending a birthday party at a local lounge on Amboy Avenue. An argument broke out between Pryce and another man, which then spilled outside.
Following the altercation, Pryce was shot multiple times at the intersection of Amboy Avenue and Barclay Street. Despite his severe injuries, he managed to make his way back into the bar, where friends rushed him to the nearby Raritan Bay Medical Center. Tragically, he was pronounced dead at 3:02 a.m. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was the gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation quickly identified Jahmmel Cephas, then 32, of Franklin Township, as the suspect.
Cephas fled after the shooting, prompting a manhunt that ended on March 20, 2015, when he was apprehended in DeKalb County, Georgia. He was extradited back to New Jersey to face charges. In September 2017, a jury found Cephas, who had a prior criminal record, guilty of aggravated manslaughter, unlawful possession of a handgun, and several other related charges. He was subsequently sentenced to 60 years in state prison for the killing of Richard Pryce.
