What to Know
- A NJ teenager will be charged as an adult in connection to the February shooting of a 10-year-old boy in Asbury Park, authorities said
- Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramicccioni says that Jah-Del Birch, 17, of Neptune Township, will now face adult charges
- Yovanni Banos-Merino and his mother Lilia Merino, 38, were shot, but were not the intended targets, authorities say
A New Jersey teenager will be charged as an adult in connection to the February shooting of a 10-year-old boy in Asbury Park, authorities announced Thursday.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramicccioni says that Jah-Del Birch, 17, of Neptune Township, will now face adult charges of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Jeffrey Coglan, Birch’s attorney, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Birch and Karon Council, 18, of Heck Avenue, are charged with the murder of Yovanni Banos-Merino and injuring the boy’s mother Lilia Merino, 38.
[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
Authorities say that both mother and child were not the intended targets of the Feb. 21, 2018 shooting incident.
Local
Birch was arrested in February at Neptune Township High School where he was a member of the 2020 class. He has been at the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center since his arrest, authorities say.
Council was arrested in Florida two days after incident following a manhunt. He is also facing charges of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
On Feb. 21, 2018, Asbury Park police responded to a 911 call around 10:40 p.m. reporting shots fired at a home on Ridge Avenue. Police arrived to find Banos-Merino and his mother were shot.
The mother was treated and released for her injuries, but the boy was pronounced dead later that night.
A multi-agency investigation determined that Council and Birch allegedly arrived at the home to target an occupant also present also present at the resident but who was not injured during the shooting.
If convicted of murder, Birch and Council would each face a minimum sentence of 30 years in a New Jersey state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, requiring them to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.
They would also be under parole supervision for five years following release from state prison.
If convicted of any of the second degree crimes, Birch and Council each faces a sentence of five to 10 years in prison for each of the counts against them.
Council’s attorney, Paul Zager, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
