Life Sentence For Keansburg Killer

KEANSBURG, NJ — The upstairs neighbor of Abbiegail Smith received a life sentence last week for sexually assaulting the 11-year-old Keansburg girl and then murdering her in July of 2017, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

On May 31, 2019, Andreas Erazo, 20, of Keansburg, was sentenced by Judge David Bauman to life in prison, subject to the No Early Release Act requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. That means Erazo would be required to serve 63 years, nine months and three days before becoming eligible for release on parole.

Erazo pleaded guilty on February 26, 2019, to first degree Murder and first degree Aggravated Sexual Assault in connection with the death of Abbiegail “Abbie” Smith, who was found deceased on July 13, 2017, just hours after she was reported missing from her Hancock Street apartment. The plea agreement was made after consultation with the victim’s family.

Erazo was charged after Keansburg police responded to 16 Hancock St. at about 9:24 p.m., on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, after receiving a report the resident's 11-year-old daughter was missing. Keansburg police immediately launched a missing person's investigation. Keansburg Police notified the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office of the situation in the overnight hours of July 13, when a joint investigation was launched into the disappearance of Abbiegail Smith.

At approximately 10:20 a.m., detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office's Forensic and Technical Services Bureau were behind the apartment complex, which includes the victim's residence. 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 the deceased body of the 11-year old victim. An autopsy would subsequently determine that the girl had been sexually assaulted and fatally stabbed.