FREEHOLD – A local man has been arrested and criminally charged in connection with a fatal shooting that took place in Howell Township last week, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Saturday.
Juan Jesus Mejia Yanza, 33, of Howell is charged with first-degree Murder and two related second-degree weapons offenses.
Shortly before 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, members of the Howell Township Police Department responded to White Street for a report of a possibly deceased man inside a parked vehicle. Upon arrival, officers found an adult male, later identified as Rolando Acte Mejia, 36, of Howell, dead from two gunshot wounds.
An investigation involving members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Howell Township Police Department determined that the shooting was an isolated incident, and there was no wider danger to the public. Investigators later identified Yanza as a suspect in the case, and he was taken into custody without incident at his home yesterday.
Yanza remains in custody at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending future proceedings in Monmouth County Superior Court. Information about his legal representation was not immediately available.
This matter remains under active investigation, and anyone with information is still urged to contact MCPO Detective Kayla Santiago at 800-533-7443 or Howell Police Department Detective Vincent Bonner at 732-938-4111.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.
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