Manchester Man Gets 35-Year Sentence For Brutal Beating Death Of Neighbor

MANCHESTER, NJ -- A Manchester man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for brutally beating his 76-year-old neighbor to death in 2013, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.

Alan Bienkowski, 57, of Pine Acres Manor Mobile Home Park, was convicted in February of the murder of Anthony "Tony" Verdicchio.

According to an Asbury Park Press report, prosecutors said Bienkowski hit Verdicchio 14 to 16 times in the head with a hammer and then stole the man's belongings, including a gun. Bienkowski admitted to being high on heroin but claimed he found Verdicchio already dead in his trailer and stole his things to sell for more heroin.

A 9-1-1 call after 5 p.m. on May 13, 2013 reported a man unconscious and not breathing, said Al Della Fave of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. EMS personnel who responded determined the manner in which Verdicchio was found was suspicious, that he had suffered head trauma and succumbed. His death was ruled a homicide, with the cause of death the result of multiple blunt force traumas to the head and face, Della Fave said.

Bienkowski must serve 30 years of that sentence in prison, with no parole ineligibiity, according to the Asbury Park Press. The last five years of the sentence is subject to the state’s No Early Release Act, which requires those who commit violent crimes to serve 85 percent of their terms before they can be considered for release on parole. He must serve another four-plus years without parole, according to the report.

Bienkowski has previous convictions for armed robberies and theft, and is facing another murder charge in Monmouth County, the report said.