Son, Friend Killed Brick Man In 'Savage Beating:' Prosecutor

BRICK, NJ — A Brick Township man found dead in his home on Saturday was savagely beaten to death in a murder that was planned by his son and another man, authorities allege.

Mark J. Austin, 28, of Brick, and Jeray Melton, 27, of Salem City, are being held in the Ocean County Jail in connection with the killing of Mark Richard Austin, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Brick Township Police Chief Joseph Riccio announced in a joint news release Friday night.

"The victim, Mr. Austin suffered serious injuries from a savage beating that caused his death," Billhimer said. "This investigation was very complex and the detectives in our Major Crime Unit and in the Brick Township Police Department did an amazing job of following leads and putting this case together."

Mark Richard Austin, 55, was found beaten to death in a home on Acorn Drive on Saturday. The street in the Cedar Bridge Manor neighborhood was blocked off from Saturday evening well into Sunday afternoon as authorities searched the premises and conducted their investigation.

Austin was a former licensed home contractor who would have been 56 later this month, NJ.com reported, quoting his sister.

Mark J. Austin and Melton both have been charged with murder; conspiracy to commit murder; possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Both were taken to the Ocean County Jail to be held pending a detention hearing, authorities said.

The announcement from Billhimer and Riccio did not give details on how Austin and Melton know each other. Both have prior arrests, however.

Mark J. Austin was arrested on weapons charges in Toms River in 2013, after he allegedly made threats to another person and then ran when police pulled him over for questioning. Police found a loaded AK-47 and a shotgun in his vehicle, authorities said at the time.

Melton was arrested in 2012 after police responding to a fight at a Salem County home found him in possession of a sawed-off shotgun and a bulletproof vest, NJ.com reported. He was charged with making terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, two counts of possession of a sawed-off shotgun, unlawful possession of a weapon, certain persons not to have weapons, and resisting arrest in that case.

The announcement said Brick Township police and the prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, received assistance from the prosecutor’s office High Tech and Economic Crimes units; the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit; the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office; Salem City Police Department; Salem County Prosecutor’s Office; 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; the Manchester Township Police Department; the Millville Police Department; the Bayonne Police Department and the FBI.

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