Man Gets Life Sentence In Murder At Toms River Apartment Complex

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A former Seaside Heights resident has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Brick Township man who was found shot to death outside a Toms River apartment complex in 2018, the Ocean County prosecutor's office announced.

Anthony Barksdale, 26, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan in connection with the March 5, 2018 murder of Steven Stallworth in Toms River, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Barksdale was convicted of murder on June 29 following a jury trial that started in March but was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The jury also found Barksdale guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a weapon by a convicted person.

Stallworth, 30, of Brick, was found shot to death on the doorstep of an apartment at the Hampton Gardens complex on James Street on the evening of March 5. Barksdale, also known as Shakar Barksdale, and Sevon Hill, 24, of Toms River, were arrested a week later.

Authorities said Barksdale and Hill had been sharing a motel room where, on the night Stallworth was killed, a "large quantity" of cocaine and heroin were recovered. They said Hill and Barksdale moved to another motel after Stallworth's murder, and when they were arrested they were found with more heroin and cocaine.

The Asbury Park Press reported Barksdale shot Stallworth for Hill, who owed Stallworth, his drug supplier, between $10,000 and $40,000. Hill pleaded guilty in October to aggravated manslaughter, drug distribution and weapons offenses.

"This was a brutal and senseless murder," Billhimer said. "I am beyond proud of the teamwork exhibited by members of my office, along with the other law enforcement agencies involved in solving this heinous crime, for their exceptional and combined efforts which ultimately resulted in this defendant being brought to justice."

"It is my sincere hope that Barksdale being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole provides some measure of peace and closure to Mr. Stallworth’s family, who have been forced to endure needless and unspeakable suffering since that horrible day in March 2018," Billhimer said. "Justice has finally been accomplished in Steven’s name, and for his family."

Billhimer praised the efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Michael Abatemarco and Senior Assistant Prosecutor Robert Cassidy, who together tried the case, "for their skill and dedication in prosecuting this horrendous murder - particularly in light of the adverse conditions emanating from Covid-19."

The investigation, trial and conviction were conducted and assisted by the prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, High Tech Crime Unit, and Victim Witness Advocacy Unit; the Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, Toms River Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.

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