Dad Charged With Murder Of 4-Year-Old Son At Somerset County Hotel

FRANKLIN, NJ — A Woodbridge man and father was charged in the murder of his biological 4-year-old son that happened in a hotel in Franklin Township in 2024.

Sean Tate, 36, of Woodbridge, was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, announced Somerset County First Assistant Prosecutor Annemarie L. Mueller, SCPO Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and Franklin Township Public Safety Director Quovella M. Maeweather.

At around 3:24 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2024, Franklin Township Police went to an area hotel for the report of an unresponsive 4-year-old male child.

Tate reported that his 4-year-old biological child fell off a toilet two days ago sustaining an injury and hit his head on an AC unit prior to that, said Mueller.

Tate reported that the injury from the toilet was visible, so he iced the injury before going to bed on Feb. 19, 2024. When he woke up, Tate stated that he learned that the child was unresponsive, and he called 911, said Mueller.

The child was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:24 p.m. Medical personnel reported that the child was emaciated and appeared to have sustained multiple injuries.

An autopsy was conducted by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. On Feb. 4, 2025, the child’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.

On Feb. 18, 2025, Tate was arrested in Woodbridge without incident following an investigation by detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Special Victim’s Unit, and Crime Scene Investigation Unit along with detectives from the Franklin Township Police Department.

Tate was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing on this matter which remains an ongoing investigation.

Mueller thanked members of the Middlesex County SORT team, members of the Woodbridge Police Department, and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Newark Field Office – Branchburg RA, for their help with this investigation.

Anyone with information relating to this homicide is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ.

Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-
888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports and Crime Stopper tips will be kept
confidential.

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