Four Indicted In 2009 Murder Of Beloved Red Bank Teacher

FREEHOLD, NJ -- Four Monmouth County men have been indicted in the 2009 murder of beloved Red Bank teacher Jonelle Melton, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said Monday.

James M. Fair, 28, Ebenezer Byrd, 36, and Gregory A. Jean-Baptiste, 27, all of Asbury Park, and Jerry J. Spraulding, 38, of Keansburg, are named in the nine-count indictment charging each of the men in connection with the Sept. 14, 2009 murder of Melton at her apartment in Neptune City, said Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

Melton, 33, was a veteran teacher at Red Bank Middle School and an active member of the school community, serving as a member of the School Improvement Team, the Leadership Program at Red Bank Regional High School, and had been selected to serve as a student council adviser. She also was an active member of the Christian Woman’s Encouragement Group, and was scheduled to officially become a member of the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Lake Como during its annual Woman’s Day celebration, he said.

All four men are charged with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, first-degree felony murder, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the indictment.

Byrd and Jean-Baptiste are charged additionally with first-degree tampering with a witness, a woman who was a co-conspirator in the crime but who is not a named defendant, according to the indictment.

Byrd and Spraulding face additional charges of second-degree certain persons not to possess weapons, according to the indictment.

The Neptune City Police Department received a 9-1-1 call at 9:07 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2009, reporting the discovery of unresponsive woman in an apartment in the Brighton Arms complex, 311 West Sylvania Ave. in the borough. Officers arrived on scene and found Melton inside of the apartment. Paramedics arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced her dead.

A joint investigation was immediately launched by the Neptune City Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation continued over the course of more than six years, and was one of the first cases to utilize the Monmouth County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line and reward program, Webster said.

As a result of that investigation, detectives learned that Fair, Byrd, Jean-Baptiste and Spraulding planned to burglarize a specific apartment in the Brighton Arms complex. However, the men broke into the wrong apartment and encountered the victim. At some point after realizing they were in the wrong apartment, the men brutally murdered Melton, Webster said.

All defendants are being held on $1.5 million cash only bail, with a bail source hearing required before they can be released, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, he said.

If convicted of Felony Murder, each man faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison without parole, up to life imprisonment, subject to the provisions of the "No Early Release Act" (NERA), requiring them to serve 85 percent of any sentence imposed in excess of 30 years prior to becoming eligible for parole.

If convicted of first degree Robbery, each man faces a maximum of 20 years in state prison, subject to the provisions of NERA, and if convicted of second degree conspiracy or second degree burglary, each man faces up to 10 years in state prison, also subject to the provisions of NERA. If convicted of first degree tampering with a witness, Byrd and Jean-Baptiste face up to 20 years in state prison.

If convicted of possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose or unlawful possession of a firearm, each man faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment on each charge, subject to a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of either half of the sentence imposed or 42 months, whichever is longer.

If convicted of second degree certain persons not to have weapons, Byrd and Spraulding face up to 10 years in state prison with a mandatory five-year period of parole ineligibility.