Uncle gets 75 years, nephew gets 55, in botched robbery and murder of Neptune man
FREEHOLD - A judge doled out a 75-year prison term to an Eatontown man, and a 55-year prison term to the man's nephew, in the shooting death of a Neptune man during a botched robbery in 2017, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said in a news release.
At a sentencing hearing Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux sentenced Marcus Morrisey, 52, to life in prison for the murder of 43-year-old Randolph Goodman, the news release said. State law defines life in prison as a term of 75 years.
Lemieux sentenced Morrisey's nephew, Danron Morrisey, 30, to 55 years in prison for the murder.
Both defendants are required to serve 85 percent of their prison terms before they can be considered for release on parole, under the state's No Early Release Act.
The uncle and nephew stood trial before Lemiuex earlier this year and were found guilty Feb. 13 of murder, felony murder, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose related to Goodman's shooting death on Nov. 10, 2018.
The jury also found Marcus Morrisey guilty of possession of a prohibited device, a stun gun, and possession of the stun gun for an unlawful purpose.
At the 2 1/2-week trial, Ellyn Raijfer and Michael Luciano, assistant Monmouth County prosecutors, argued Marcus Morrisey went to Goodman's home on the night of the murder under the guise that he was going to purchase crack cocaine from the victim when, in reality, he and his nephew planned to ambush and rob Goodman.
After Goodman came outside to conduct the drug deal, Marcus Morrisey immobilized him with the stun gun, while Danron Morrisey emerged from the shadows and shot him, the assistant prosecutors argued.
Goodman was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward as a result of a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The shooting was captured on surveillance footage that was played for the jury during the trial.
Goodman's mother and brother read statements to the judge before he sentenced the pair, and Raijfer read a statement from the victim's father, Santiago said.
The prosecutor said the courtroom was packed with Goodman's friends and family.
Lemieux said Marcus Morrisey received the longer of the two prison terms because he has a lengthy criminal record and he initiated the robbery.
"Gun violence will never be tolerated in Monmouth County, and this sentencing is fittingly reflective of our commitment to ensuring that it is routinely met with the fiercest of consequences,'' Santiago said after the sentencing hearing.
Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Uncle gets 75 years, nephew gets 55 in Neptune man's murder
