Keansburg, Aberdeen Men Admit To Double Murder In Neptune In 2022

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP, NJ — Two young men accused of fatally shooting a teen boy and girl in Neptune Township in 2022 have both admitted to their roles in the killings, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago announced Friday.

The men who committed the double murder are Gabriel Brathwaite, 20, of Keansburg, and Jeron Dearin, 24, of the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen.

Last week, Brathwaite pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and illegal gun charges, admitting he fatally shot the young woman, Samore Edwards, 18, of Plainfield and Isaiah Williams, 19, of New Brunswick.

Dearin was Braithwaite’s codefendant, and the young man from Aberdeen pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.

Shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, Neptune Twp. Police responded to the 1300 block of Washington Avenue on a report of a shooting. At that location, officers found the two victims in a parked car.

The young Plainfield woman, Edwards, was pronounced dead at the scene, while Williams was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.

The pair ultimately were arrested without incident less than a month after the shooting. They have remained in custody at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution ever since.

Sentencing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Dec. 7, at which time the state intends to recommend terms of 45 and 10 years, respectively, for Brathwaite and Dearin.

The pleas were negotiated and agreed to after consulting with the families of Edwards and Williams.

This double-murder case was investigated by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's office Major Crimes Bureau, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, the Neptune Township Police Department and the Keansburg Police Department.