Fourth Man Charged In Red Bank Teacher's 2009 Murder, Prosecutor Says

FREEHOLD, NJ -- A fourth man has been charged with murder in the 2009 killing of a Red Bank middle school teacher, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

Jerry J. Spraulding, 38, of Keansburg, is charged with first-degree felony murder, first-degree armed robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit armed burglary, second-degree armed burglary, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree certain persons not to possess weapons, said Charles Webster, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.

Spraulding joins James Fair, 27, Ebenezer Byrd, 35, and Gregory Jean-Baptiste, 26, all of Asbury Park, who were arrested in November and are each facing similar charges in connection with the Sept. 14, 2009, death of 33-year-old Jonelle Melton, he said.

Spraulding is currently serving an 8-year sentence in Northern State Prison after he was convicted last year on two counts of third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. His bail for the new charges was set at $1.5 million by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley, Webster said.

Melton was a veteran school teacher at Red Bank Middle School when she was killed inside her Neptune City apartment. She was an active member of the school community; as a member of the School Improvement team, the Leadership Program at Red Bank Regional High School, and selected to serve as the Student Council Adviser, he said. Melton was an active member of the Christian Woman’s Encouragement Group, and was scheduled to officially become a member of the Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Lake Como during its annual Woman’s Day celebration.

Neptune City Police Department received a 911 call around 9:07 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2009, reporting the discovery of unresponsive woman in an apartment in the Brighton Arms complex. Officers arrived on scene and found Melton dead inside the apartment, Webster said.

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 the past six years, and was one of the first cases to utilize the Monmouth County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line and reward program, he said.

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

If convicted of the charges, Spraulding faces a minimum of 30 years in prison on the murder charge subject to the No Early Release Act, Webster said. The robbery charge carries a maximjm of 20 years in prison, and 10 years in prison each on the conspiracy and burglary charges, he said.

The case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux and Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner.

The investigation into the murder is ongoing and detectives continue to pursue additional leads, he said. Anyone with information related to this investigation should contact Detective Scott Samis of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443 or Detective Lieutenant Matt Quagliato of the Neptune City Police Department at 732-775-1615.

In addition, anyone with information about this violent crime may contact Monmouth County Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-671-4400, which is a confidential telephone tip line; they can text “MONMOUTH” plus their tip to 274637; or, they can email a tip via the website at www.monmouthcountycrimestoppers.com