Accused Keansburg Killer Next Due In Court July 26

FREEHOLD, NJ — Andreas Erazo, the 18-year-old Keansburg man accused of stabbing his 11-year-old neighbor to death, was scheduled to next appear in court tomorrow, Wednesday, July 19. However, that court date has now been postponed to next week.

Erazo's detention hearing was adjourned until next Wednesday, July 26 at 1:30 p.m., the Monmouth County court system announced Tuesday afternoon. It was delayed at the request of his defense attorney, Emeka Nkwuo. Erazo will remain at the Monmouth County jail in Freehold until then.

Since he was arrested, Erazo has been held at the county jail without bail. He was charged Friday with first-degree murder, along with weapons charges, in the death of Abbiegail "Abbie" Smith.

Erazo is accused of stabbing Abbie to death just feet from the apartment building where they both lived. Specifically, she died from a stab wound to her neck, the Medical Examiner determined after conducting an autopsy on her body.

He will appear before Superior Court Judge Richard English next Wednesday, who will decide whether Erazo will remain behind bars until his trial, should there be one. The Monmouth County prosecution has been requesting to keep Erazo jailed without bail. According to the Asbury Park Press, the prosecution would have to show probable cause that Erazo murdered the girl, so they may have to release some of their evidence at his detention hearing next Wednesday.

However, according to NJ 101.5, on Friday Judge English signed an order sealing the record on Erazo's trial, which will prevent reporters and the public from hearing all police recordings related to the case. They are doing this to ensure Erazo receives a fair trail, they said.

“There has been intense, pervasive media attention, local, tri-state, and national, in this case,” the order says. “The United States Supreme Court recognizes that, in cases that arouse intense public interest, ‘adverse publicity can endanger the ability of the defendant to receive a fair trial.'”

Before he moved to Keansburg, Erazo grew up in Middletown. He went to New Monmouth elementary, Thorne Middle School and high school in Middletown. A friend of his said he has anger issues. He lived with his mother in the Hancock Street apartment building and the two often fought, she said. Related: Accused Keansburg Killer Andreas Erazo 'Had Demons,' Friend Says

Abbie Smith was born in Jamaica and moved to the U.S. with her family in 2007. She lived in Highlands before moving to Keansburg, where she lived with her mother. She had just graduated from 5th grade at Bolger Middle School.

According to her obituary, her family will be accepting friends on Sunday July 23 from 2-6 p.m. at the Jacqueline M. Ryan Home for Funerals 233 Carr Ave. Keansburg. Her funeral mass will be held on Monday, July 24 at 10:15 a.m. at St. Ann's Church in Keansburg. As per the family's request, anyone who is attending the church service please meet at the church at 10:15 a.m. Burial to follow at Bayview Cemetery, Leonardo. In lieu of flowers the family will be accepting donations in Abbiegail's name for a scholarship fund.

Patch file photo of the Hancock Street apartment building in Keansburg where Erazo and Smith both lived. He lived in a second-floor apartment.