More Details Emerge in Somerset Baseball Bat Murders

Branchburg, NJ -- A Branchburg man was arrested in connection into the death of two elderly township residents who were beaten with an aluminum baseball bat while they slept in their bed, according to Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano.

Ezra Simon-Daniels, 20, of Readington Road in Branchburg Township was arrested with two counts of Murder, first degree.

The victims have not been identified by the medical examiner, said Captain Jack Bennett, Communications Director of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. The suspect’s relation to the couple is also not clear at this time.

Around 6 a.m. on Saturday, a ”distraught” Simon-Daniels dialed 911 while sitting in a car in the Walmart parking lot on Route 22 in Whitehouse, Soriano said.

When Readington Township Police responded, they found Simon-Daniels covered in blood but did not have any visible wounds on his body, Soriano said.

Soon after, Branchburg Police responded to Simon-Daniels’ home on Readington Road, where they knocked on the door several times and received no response.

Once inside, officers reported discovering an elderly male and female, both apparent homicide victims with “significant blunt force trauma to their heads,” Soriano said.

A “preliminary investigation has revealed that both victims were lying in bed when they were assaulted. The suspected murder weapon, an aluminum baseball bat, was located inside the house,” Soriano said.

The investigation was done by the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Somerset County Crime Scene Investigations and Forensic Unit responded to conduct the investigation. An investigator from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiners Office also responded to assist in the investigation.

Post-Mortem examinations of the victims will be conducted by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiners Office to confirm their identities, cause and manner of death.

Simon-Daniels was lodged in the Somerset County Jail. Bail was set by the Honorable Peter J. Tober at $2,000,000.

(Photo provided: Ezra Simon-Daniels, 20, of Readington Road in Branchburg Township)