Delran Man Released From Prison Early Indicted In Fatal Shooting

DELRAN, NJ — A Delran man who was released early from prison amid the coronavirus pandemic has now been indicted in the fatal shooting of two people in Edgewater Park earlier this year, authorities announced.

A grand jury has indicted Ronny Paden, 27, and 34-year-old David Armstrong, of Willingboro, in the fatal shooting of 29-year-old James Gist III, of Westampton, and 29-year-old Marcus Thompson, of Willingboro, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced.

Paden was arrested in May in the fatal shooting that took place at a birthday party in which 10 people had gathered at a home in the 200 block of Dogwood Road in January, according to authorities.

Gist had been shot while inside the driver's seat of a parked car outside the home, and Thompson was shot inside the home, authorities said. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
They were the only two people struck by gunfire, but they were not the intended targets, authorities said.

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Paden was arrested after he had been released from state prison in November, months shy of his scheduled release, under a law designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus in prisons, authorities said. Read more here: Delran Man Released From Prison Early Charged In Fatal Shooting

He was to have served five years in prison after he pleaded guilty in 2017 to a drive-by shooting that injured a victim in Willingboro, according to the Burlington County Times.

Paden and Armstrong were both indicted on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. Paden was indicted on an additional charge of second-degree certain persons not to possess weapons.

Armstrong surrendered to authorities last month. They have both remained in jail since they were arrested. An arraignment will be scheduled soon in Superior Court.