Vaughn Stewart and the 2026 Berkeley Township Triple Murder-Suicide
Overview
Vaughn Stewart was identified by New Jersey authorities as the 37-year-old Maplewood man responsible for killing three members of the same family during a domestic-violence-related shooting in Berkeley Township on March 10, 2026. The victims were Stewart’s estranged partner, 38-year-old Deonna Stewart, and her parents, 61-year-old Allan Russell and 60-year-old Michelle Russell. After carrying out the killings, Stewart returned to the family’s residence and fatally shot himself.
The violence occurred at a house on Fairwood Drive where Deonna Stewart had been living with her parents and the three young children she shared with Vaughn Stewart. Authorities said Vaughn and Deonna were living separately at the time. The attack destroyed several generations of one family and left the couple’s children without their mother or grandparents.
The Early-Morning Attack
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on March 10, 2026, Berkeley Township police officers were dispatched to the Fairwood Drive residence after someone reported hearing gunfire. When officers arrived, they observed a man entering the house. Additional shots were then heard from inside, creating an active and dangerous situation that required assistance from the Ocean County Regional SWAT Team.
After officers entered the residence, they discovered Allan Russell and Michelle Russell dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Investigators later determined that Vaughn Stewart had entered the home and shot both of his in-laws. Three minor children were also found inside the residence. Although they were exposed to the deadly event and its immediate aftermath, none of the children suffered physical injuries.
Evidence outside the house showed that the violence had continued beyond the residence. Officers found numerous spent shell casings along Fairwood Drive and discovered Deonna Stewart approximately 50 yards from the home. Investigators concluded that she had fled from the house and was chased down the street by Vaughn Stewart. He fired multiple rounds at her, killing her before returning to the residence.
Stewart’s Death
As law-enforcement personnel cleared the home, they found Vaughn Stewart suffering from a gunshot wound to the head that authorities described as self-inflicted. He was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead. Because Stewart died at the scene’s aftermath, there was no arrest, criminal prosecution or trial for the three murders.
The investigation was conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, the Berkeley Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Authorities reconstructed the sequence of events through the locations of the victims, physical evidence and shell casings recovered inside and outside the property.
The Victims
- Allan Russell, 61 — Killed by gunfire inside his home on Fairwood Drive in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, during the early morning of March 10, 2026. He was Deonna Stewart’s father and one of the homeowners.
- Michelle Russell, 60 — Killed by gunfire inside the Fairwood Drive residence in Berkeley Township on March 10, 2026. She was Deonna Stewart’s mother and Allan Russell’s wife.
- Deonna Stewart, 38 — Killed on March 10, 2026, after fleeing from the residence and being chased approximately 50 yards along Fairwood Drive. Authorities said Vaughn Stewart fired multiple shots at her. She was the mother of his three children.
Earlier Domestic-Violence Allegations
Reports based on police and court records indicated that Vaughn Stewart had faced domestic-violence-related allegations shortly before the killings. On February 11, 2026, police reportedly responded to an altercation involving Stewart and a woman in the parking lot of a QuickChek store in Cranford. The woman was allegedly struck in the neck with a telephone, and part of her braided hair was reportedly pulled from her head.
The woman also reportedly told police that Stewart had threatened to kill her and members of her family. Stewart was charged with offenses that included terroristic threats, simple assault and harassment. The matter was transferred to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office as an indictable case. Public reports did not conclusively establish the identity of the woman because domestic-violence victims are generally not publicly identified, and officials did not formally confirm whether the February incident involved Deonna Stewart.
The existence of those allegations added a disturbing context to the March killings. They suggested that law enforcement had received a report of violence and threats involving Stewart less than one month before he arrived at the Russell residence with a firearm. Because Stewart died after the murders, the prior charges were never fully tested through a completed criminal trial.
The Children and the Family’s Loss
Vaughn and Deonna Stewart were the parents of three children, reportedly an infant, a three-year-old and a five-year-old. All three were present at the residence during the attack but were found physically unharmed. Following the deaths, they were placed in the care of the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
The children lost their mother and both maternal grandparents in the same morning. Their father, who authorities determined was responsible for the killings, also died. The result was not only a triple homicide but the sudden destruction of the children’s closest family structure.
Neighbors and people familiar with Allan and Michelle Russell remembered them as caring, religious and hardworking members of the community. They were reported to have Jamaican roots, and acquaintances described their devotion to their children and grandchildren. Allan Russell reportedly worked for the same state child-protection agency that became involved in caring for his grandchildren after his death.
Investigation and Motive
Authorities publicly established the identity of the killer and the basic sequence of the shootings, but they did not announce a single confirmed motive. The separation between Vaughn and Deonna Stewart, the reported history of threats and domestic conflict, and Deonna’s decision to live with her parents and children formed the known background to the attack.
The evidence indicated that the victims were deliberately targeted rather than killed during a random shooting. Stewart traveled from Maplewood to the Berkeley Township residence, entered the home, shot Allan and Michelle Russell, pursued Deonna as she attempted to escape and then returned to the house. His final self-inflicted gunshot ended any possibility that investigators could question him about his planning, intentions or state of mind.
Aftermath
The March 10, 2026, killings became one of the most devastating acts of family violence in Berkeley Township. Four people died, including the offender, and three young children survived inside the home. Police and crime-scene investigators spent hours examining the residence and the surrounding section of Fairwood Drive as the neighborhood struggled to understand the violence that had erupted before sunrise.
The deaths of Deonna Stewart, Allan Russell and Michelle Russell were officially treated as homicides. Vaughn Stewart’s death was attributed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. With the offender dead and investigators reporting no additional suspects, the criminal aspect of the case ended without an arrest or courtroom resolution. The lasting consequences remained with the surviving children, relatives, friends and community members who were left to mourn three members of the same family.
