In the late summer of 1982, the Jersey Shore was gripped by a series of terrifying events that would eventually uncover a grim saga of violence. One of the victims in this dark chapter was William J. Ward, a 34-year-old man from North Wildwood, New Jersey. His life was cut short in September of that year in the seaside city of Asbury Park, a community that was unknowingly harboring a predator.
Ward's death was not an isolated incident but part of a string of murders committed by a man named Richard Fran Biegenwald. Biegenwald, a resident of Asbury Park, had a troubled past, including a prior conviction for murder in 1958 for which he had been paroled. He befriended a man named Dherran Fitzgerald, who would later become a key informant in the case against him. According to prosecutors, Biegenwald's motive for killing Ward was a chillingly simple and brutal one: he wanted to see someone die.
He lured Ward to his car and shot him four times in the head.
The investigation into a series of disappearances in the area began to coalesce in early 1983. On January 14th, the body of another of Biegenwald's victims, 18-year-old Anna Olesiewicz, was discovered in a wooded area in nearby Ocean Township. A tip led law enforcement to the Asbury Park residence that Biegenwald shared with his wife and Fitzgerald. Police apprehended Fitzgerald first, and he quickly began to cooperate, revealing the horrifying extent of Biegenwald's crimes.
Fitzgerald's confessions led investigators to the locations of more of Biegenwald's victims. William J. Ward's body was found buried in a shallow grave behind a cemetery in Neptune City, a neighboring town to Asbury Park. He had been shot five times in the head. The discoveries of Ward and other victims painted a grim picture of Biegenwald's murderous spree along the Jersey Shore.
Richard Biegenwald was arrested on January 22, 1983, after a tense standoff at his Asbury Park home. A search of his residence uncovered a significant cache of weapons and drugs. For the murder of William J. Ward, a Monmouth County grand jury handed up an eight-count indictment against Biegenwald. He was ultimately convicted of several murders, including that of William J. Ward, and was sentenced to life in prison. He died in custody on March 10, 2008, closing a dark chapter in the history of Asbury Park and the surrounding communities.
