BRICK TOWNSHIP NEW JERSEY MAN INDICTED ON CHARGES FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2019 MURDER FOR HIRE BEATING DEATH OF HIS FATHER
" Mark J. Austin Of Brick, New Jersey Indicted On Murder & Weapons Offenses In Connection With The September 7, 2019 Beating Death Of His Father."
October 9, 2021 By Art Fletcher Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
TOMS RIVER, NJ.- On Friday, October 8, 2021 Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County, New Jersey, has returned a Superseding Indictment against Mark J. Austin, 30, of Brick Township, New Jersey. The Indictment was returned on Thursday, October 7, 2021, Charging Mr. Austin with First Degree Murder; Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose; and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; in connection to the death of his father, Mark Richard Austin, in Brick Township on September 7, 2019.
The Superseding Indictment charges that Mr. Austin procured the commission of the murder of his father by payment or promise of payment of anything of monetary value, an aggravating factor which - if proven beyond a reasonable doubt at the time of trial - requires that Austin be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole eligibility. Austin and his co-defendant, Jeray Melton, 30, of Salem City, New Jersey were originally Indicted in connection with the murder of the victim on December 3, 2019, it was not known at that time that this was a murder for hire situation.
On Saturday, September 7, 2019, Members of The Brick Township Police Department were summoned to a residence on Acorn Drive and discovered the victim’s body. At that time, it was discovered that the victim had been Beaten to Death.
Following a thorough and extensive investigation by The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, it was determined that Austin and Melton had conspired to kill the victim. Mark J. Austin and Jeray Melton were charged accordingly and taken into custody on September 13, 2019, and have been incarcerated since that date.
The Subsequent investigation determined that Mr. Austin agreed to pay Mr. Melton a sum of money in exchange for killing Mark Richard Austin. On February 25, 2020, Melton pled guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter before The Honorable Guy P. Ryan, J.S.C., Mr. Melton is currently lodged in The Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending sentencing. Mr. Austin remains in in the Ocean County Jail awaiting trial.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Chief Trial Attorney Michael Weatherstone and Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr who are handling the case on behalf of the State, as well as The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Brick Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, Salem City Police Department, New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, New Jersey State Police TEAMS Unit, New Jersey Department of Corrections, Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey, Manchester Township Police Department, Millville Police Department, Bayonne Police Department, and The Federal Bureau of Investigation for their collective and cooperative efforts in connection with this investigation.
" The Rules Of The Court Require Us To Include A Statement, Which States: The Charges Outlined In This Publication Are Merely Accusations And The Defendant And Or Defendants Are Presumed Innocent Unless And Until Proven Guilty Beyond Reasonable Doubt."
FILED UNDER OCTOBER 9, 2021: LAW, OCEAN: