Man Gets 50 Years In Fatal Shooting At Bound Brook Family Home

BOUND BROOK, NJ — A Bound Brook man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder and 2019 fatal shooting of Terrence C. Coulanges at his family's borough home near the Bridgewater border, authorities announced.

On Friday, Somerset County Superior Judge Peter Tober denied Ryan D. Keogh's motion for a judgment of acquittal and for a new trial and sentenced Keogh to the following:

• On Count One for first-degree murder, Tober imposed a 50-year term of imprisonment.
• On Count Two for possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose, Tober merged that count into Count One for purposes of sentencing.
• On Count Three for hindering oneself in the third-degree, Keogh was sentenced to 5 years in prison concurrent to the term imposed for murder and the other counts.
• On Count Four for third-degree endangering an injured victim, the Keogh was given a 3-year term in prison to be served consecutive to the term imposed for murder. This term was consecutive under New Jersey Statutes.
• On Counts Five, Six, Eight, Nine for fourth-degree false swearing, Keogh was sentenced to 18 months in prison concurrent to the sentence imposed for murder and other counts. Keogh was acquitted on false swearing in Count Seven.
• On Count Ten for fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, Keogh was sentenced to 18 months in prison concurrent to the sentence imposed for murder and other counts.
• Lastly, on Count Eleven for fourth-degree possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine, Keogh received a concurrent 18-month sentence.

Payment of fines, penalties and restitution was also ordered against Keogh, said Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, and Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of County Detectives John W. Fodor.

Keogh had previously been found guilty on the charges in April. Read More: Man Found Guilty Of Murder In Bound Brook Shooting At Family Home

Keogh's parents Cindy V. Keogh, 61, and David J. Keogh, 58, of Farm Lane, Bound Brook were also charged in connection with the shooting with making false statements to police, hindering apprehension and endangering an injured victim. They will be having a separate trial. Read More: Son, Parents Charged In Bound Brook Shooting Death

At 7:36 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2019, a 911 call reported shots fired and found a gunshot wound victim at a home on Farm Lane in Bound Brook, authorities said. Read More: Police ID Man Killed In Bound Brook Shooting Following Fight

Bound Brook Police found Coulanges outside the home with gunshot wounds to the right thigh and left chest, said authorities.

Coulanges was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and CrimeScene Investigation Unit, along with detectives from the Bound Brook Police interviewed numerous neighbors who reported hearing what turned out to be gunshots at 5:45 p.m.

An investigation found that Keogh, along with his parents, left the home for a period of time after Coulanges was shot and before a 911 call was placed at 7:36 p.m. - 1 hour and 51 minutes since Keogh shot Coulanges.

A Medical Examiner found the cause of death of Coulanges to be gunshot wounds and homicide to be the manner of death.

Keogh was arrested on Feb. 14, 2019.

On the murder charge, Keogh faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 75 years imprisonment with 85 percent of the term to be served without parole under the No Early Release Act.

On the charge of possession of firearm for an unlawful purpose, Keogh faces a prison term of 5 – 10 years with a maximum of 5 years to be served without parole. This charge implicates a Graves Act sentence which has a mandatory imposition of parole ineligibility fixed at one-half the sentence imposed by the Court, or 42 months, whichever is greater.

On the hindering one’s own apprehension or prosecution charge, Keogh faces a prison term of 3 – 5 years with up to half the term without parole.

On the charge of endangering an injured victim, Keogh faces a term of 3 – 5 years in prison with up to half the term without parole. The service of the sentence for endangering an injured victim must, under New Jersey Statutes, be served consecutively to the sentence imposed for the murder, the crime that rendered Coulanges physically helpless.

For each of the fourth-degree false swearing counts, Keogh faces a maximum of 18 months in state prison. For the fourth-degree unlawful possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine charge, Keogh faces a maximum of 18 months in state prison.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.