Murdered Keansburg Girl Was Also Raped, Grand Jury Indicts

KEANSBURG, NJ — Abbiegail Smith, the 11-year-old Keansburg girl who prosecutors say was murdered by her next-door neighbor this summer, was also raped before she was killed. On the evening of July 12, 2017, upstairs neighbor Andreas Erazo raped the little girl at knifepoint, Monmouth County prosecutors said, and then stabbed her in the neck and strangled her with a computer cord, killing her.

The somber revelation was revealed Wednesday, when a grand jury indicted Erazo with three counts of aggravated sexual assault, reported the Asbury Park Press. That comes in addition to the murder, felony murder and a weapons offense Erazo is already facing in the heinous crime.

Erazo, 19, and Abbie both lived in an apartment building on Hancock Street in Keansburg, each with their mothers. On the evening of July 12, Abbie went missing. Her mother, in a panic, called Keansburg police sometime after 9:30 p.m. Erazo lived in Apt. 16A, in the unit directly above Abbie's. On that night, Keansburg police knocked on his door. When Andreas answered, they asked if he had seen the little girl. Erazo said he knew her, but had not seen her. Keansburg police searched his apartment that night, but found no signs of Abbie.

That's because her body had been placed outside his bedroom window on a shed, prosecutors said. Her body was found the next day, July 13, by investigators with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. He was arrested that same day.

Erazo is accused of stabbing Abbie to death, specifically in the neck area, binding her with a computer cord and leaving her wrapped in blankets and a sheet directly outside his bedroom window, on the roof of a shed. Most of her clothing had been removed when she was found. When Abbie's family heard this detail in court this summer, many openly wept.

Investigators also found blood stains on his bedroom window and a knife, the presumed murder weapon, nearby.

Abbie was known by other residents in the area as a friendly little girl. She could often be seen playing outside in the apartment building's front yard and often waved to people walking by. She had just graduated from 5th grade at Bolger Middle School.

Erazo confessed to the killing, prosecutors say

In a July court hearing, Monmouth County prosecutors revealed that Erazo admitted killing the girl during a nine-hour interrogation after he was arrested.

But his defense attorney said Erazo was scared and confused during his questioning.

"This is an impressionable young individual who is not familiar with interrogation procedures," said Courtney Schneider, one of his defense attorneys. "He was in a room with two very experienced detectives. His attorney was not present for the entire nine hours. He was sad, confused and he was vulnerable."

Erazo was born in Orlando, but grew up in Middletown, NJ. He went to New Monmouth Elementary School and Thorne Middle School. He moved to Eatontown when he was 16 and then to Keansburg. He lived with his mother in a second-floor unit and often fought with her, his friend, Bobbie Burdick, 19, told Star Ledger reporters. His mother, Kaleena Santos, works at the nearby Family Dollar in Keansburg. Related: Accused Keansburg Killer Andreas Erazo 'Had Demons,' Friend Says

Erazo was described as controlling, paranoid and as someone who would frequently lash out at people when he got angry. Erazo was once a good student, who played intramural football and basketball, but Burdick said he changed in his junior year at Middletown. He started hanging out with a group of teens who used drugs.

"He literally had demons he was fighting," Burdick said.

Bryce Ballew, who described himself as a close friend of Erazo's mother, said his mother "tried to save him" by letting him move in with her about six months ago.

Photos of Andreas Erazo taken in Monmouth County court by Carly Baldwin/Patch