Keansburg Girl Allegedly Stabbed To Death; Suspect Held Without Bail

KEANSBURG, NJ — Eleven-year-old Abbiegail "Abbie" Smith was stabbed to death, prosecutors said in Monmouth County Superior court Friday afternoon. She was killed at or near her apartment within 24 hours of the time she first went missing, which was at 9 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.

It was the first court appearance for Andreas Erazo, 18, the man accused of murdering the little girl who had just graduated from fifth grade. Erazo was Abbie's neighbor; they lived in the same small apartment building on Hancock Street in Keansburg. He lived in a second-floor unit. Abbie lived in an apartment there with her mother. Her body was found in the backyard of the building Thursday morning.

Abbie's mother was in court Friday, surrounded by nearly two dozen family and friends.

"You killed my daughter! I hope you rot in jail!" Abbie's mother shouted in court, according to video taken from the courtroom. "My one and only daughter. You need to rot in jail. You can't even look at us!"

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni addressed reporters at a press conference outside court Friday.

"I spoke to the loved ones of Abbiegail Smith ... they want me to convey that what they want out of this is justice," he said. "It's an incredibly tragic day. We lost a lovely 11-year-old girl, a fifth grader, but ... the state is confident in its investigation."

"This is one of the worst crimes that I've seen," he added. "Anytime there is a child victim involved, it's truly heinous."

The prosecutor said the girl was killed near Erazo's apartment, but authorities don't have a motive as to why he allegedly did it, or at least they are not releasing it. Gramiccioni said he could not answer whether or not she had been sexually assaulted because the autopsy had not been completed.

Here is the timeline of Abbie's murder:

8:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 12: Her mother calls Keansburg police to report her daughter is missing. The last time her mother saw her was 7:45 p.m. at their apartment on Hancock Street.

9:24 p.m.: Keansburg police responded to Hancock St. after receiving a report that the resident's 11-year-old daughter was missing. Keansburg police immediately launched a missing person's investigation.

Early morning hours of Thursday, July 13: Keansburg police notify the Monmouth County prosecutor's office that Abbie is missing; a joint investigation is launched to find her. Her photo is widely disseminated in the media.

10:20 a.m. Thursday, July 13: Detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office's Forensic and Technical Services Bureau were behind the apartment complex. While in the rear yard, detectives ultimately observed an object wrapped up in what appeared to be a blanket or comforter up on a rear roof. Upon closer inspection, they found what appeared to be a deceased human body.

1 p.m.: The Middlesex County Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene. The victim was pronounced deceased at 1:10 p.m. by Dr. Lauren Thoma.

Erazo was charged with first-degree murder Friday afternoon and held without bail. Superior Court Judge Richard English ordered him to be held at the Monmouth County jail until a detention hearing next Wednesday, July 19 at 1:30 p.m. A detention hearing is when the court determines whether or not to detain a defendant without bail. On that day, the prosecution will request that he continued to be held without bail, Gramiccioni said.

Who is Andreas Erazo?

Erazo was born in Orlando. He lived in Keansburg with his mother and another relative, the prosecutor said. He was arrested Thursday afternoon at his apartment and did not put up any struggle when apprehended, the prosecutor said.

Those who live and work in Keansburg are stunned it is a neighbor accused of killing the girl. Meanwhile, the owner of a pizzeria just a few doors down on Main Street said Erazo used to come into his business "quite a bit."

"I was in shock when I learned it was him," said the owner, who did not want to give his name or let Patch publish the name of his business. "He always seemed relatively quiet and shy. He was polite. That's what shocked me the most when I heard about this."

There are several reports Erazo attended Middletown high school, but the Middletown school district did not confirm this.

He is charged with first-degree Murder, third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and fourth-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

Note: Gramiccioni originally told Patch investigators had to "dig" to find her, so we reported she was buried. We regret the error.