Man Indicted In Post-Christmas Shooting At Freehold Cafe

A Monmouth County man has been indicted on attempted murder charges in the shootings of two men outside the Metropolitan Cafe in Freehold last December, acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said Tuesday.

Timothy Parrish, 28, of Neptune, is charged in the indictment with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count each of first degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree certain persons not to have weapons. Parrish is being held on $1.5 million bail with no 10 percent option, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen, said Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The charges stem from the Dec. 27, 2014 shooting outside the Metropolitan Café on Main Street in Freehold. Borough police responded to a report at 1:58 a.m. of shots fired outside the eatery, where they found two Howell Township men, 35 and 39, with gunshot wounds. Both men were taken to an area hospital for treatment, Webster said.

Webster said if Parrish is convicted of attempted murder, he faces a minimum sentence of 20 years to a maximum of life in prison, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act,” requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for parole, and five years of parole supervision, Webster said.

Because he has a previous firearms conviction, Parrish faces a mandatory extended-term sentence of 20 years to life imprisonment if he’s convicted of either attempted murder or unlawful possession of a weapon. He also would be subject to the Graves Act, requiring him 42 months (3-1/2 years) in prison before Parrish is eligible for parole, Webster said.

If convicted of possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose, Parrish faces a mandatory extended sentence of up to 20 years in prison, subject to the Graves Act. If convicted of certain persons not to have weapons, Parrish faces an additional prison sentence between five and 10 years, subject to a mandatory five-year parole bar, Webster said.