Freehold Man Pleads Guilty To Drug-Induced Death Of Toms River Woman

A Freehold man is facing up to 13 years in state prison for the drug-induced 2013 death of a 23-year-old Toms River woman, a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Rufus Young, 42, Freehold, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree drug-induced death in connection with the February 6, 2013 death of Jamie Caravella, 23, in Toms River. Young was charged on April 28, 2014 with Caravella’s death, along with Paul E. Robinson, 25, Toms River, and Pedro A. Valentin Jr, 24, of Perth Amboy, said spokesperson Al Della Fave.

The charges against Young, Robinson and Valentin stem from an investigation which began on February 6, 2013 at approximately 5:07 a.m., Toms River police received a 911 about an unresponsive female at a Pine Crest Drive address in Toms River, Della Fave said.

Officer Ronald Bayer found Jamie Caravella lying on the floor of a bedroom in the residence. She was not breathing and had no pulse. Empty bags of heroin and a needle were found near Caravella, Della Fave said.

Toms River Medic Unit #11, along with MONOC #212, arrived on scene. Caravella was pronounced dead at approximately 5:27am via telephone with Newark Beth Israel Hospital, he said.

The Ocean County Medical Examiner found Caravella’s cause of death was a negative reaction to heroin, a critical piece of evidence for the charges against Young, Valentin and Robinson, Della Fave said.

Young‘s sentencing is currently set for September 18, 2015. Senior Assistant Prosecutor Michael Weatherstone is recommending 13 years in state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning that he will serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Young will be subject to five years of parole supervision upon his release. The sentence may run concurrently or consecutively to his federal sentence. That decision will be made by the Judge at sentencing.

Young was arrested by Ocean County Detective John Carroll and Toms River Patrolma Andy Chenchirk on April 29, 2014 in the Monmouth County Jail, where he has been held since March 27, 2014 on federal narcotics charges, he said.

Valentin was arrested on April 29, 2014, with the help of the Perth Amboy Special Investigations Bureau, at approximately 9:30 p.m. at 156 Gordon Street in Perth Amboy., Robinson subsequently fled the state and was arrested on May 1, 2014 by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Mebane, North Carolina.

The Major Crimes Unit of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Special Enforcement Team (SET) of the Toms River Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Criminalistics Investigation Unit all contributed to the investigation culminating in the charges filed against Young, Robinson and Valentin.

Photo credit: Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.