TOMS RIVER – As public interest in the killing of Ruby continues to build, prosecutors outlined a potential multi-year state prison sentence during a pre-indictment hearing in the case involving the French bulldog’s death.
The proceeding unfolded in Ocean County Superior Court before Judge Kenneth Palmer, with at least 50 supporters filling every available seat in the courtroom. Many wore “Justice for Ruby” shirts, underscoring the sustained attention the case has drawn.
Jeffrey Lentz, 56, of Berkeley Township, appeared with defense counsel Ali Homayouni, of the Law Office of Evan Nappen in Monmouth County. The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Eleni Demestihas. Lentz is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
What Happened To Ruby
Lentz, who is married to Nicole Guarino’s mother, is accused of fatally shooting Ruby, a one-year-old French bulldog who died on October 3, 2025, after being left in his care at a Berkeley home. Nicole Guarino said she and her husband, Nick, had asked her parents to babysit Ruby, trusting them with what she described as a member of their family.
“It was the first time we left her there for a sleepover,” Nicole said previously to this newspaper. “I trusted them. What daughter wouldn’t trust her parents?”
According to investigators, Nicole was initially told Ruby had been injured in an animal attack. A veterinarian later determined that the dog had been shot, with X-rays revealing a bullet lodged in her jaw. Berkeley Township police detectives and Humane Law Enforcement officers investigated the incident before the case was reviewed by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Lentz was arrested on November 3, 2025, and charged with animal cruelty, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and possession of a large-capacity magazine.
Plea Offer Placed On Record
Early in the hearing, Assistant Prosecutor Demestihas placed the state’s pre-indictment plea offer on the record, outlining a resolution that would send the case into sentencing rather than to trial.
Under the proposal, prosecutors would support a guilty plea to second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, carrying a recommended five-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison, with 42 months of parole ineligibility. The offer also includes a plea to third-degree animal cruelty, with a three-year prison sentence to run concurrently.
The proposed resolution includes strict conditions. Prosecutors said Lentz would be subject to a no-contact order and permanently prohibited from holding, harboring, residing with, or having custody or control of any animals. That prohibition would be imposed as a condition of release.
The court then turned to how the firearms charge could ultimately be sentenced under New Jersey’s Graves Act, which carries mandatory minimum prison terms for certain gun-related offenses.
Homayouni said it is his intention to submit a Graves Act application on Lentz’s behalf. Such an application asks the court to consider a sentence below the mandatory minimum that would otherwise apply.
Demestihas said the state would review any request once filed. “I would leave it to the discretion of the court, either way, we would consider the Graves waiver once we get it,” Demestihas said.
A Graves Act waiver does not dismiss the charge but allows the court to consider greater sentencing flexibility, depending on the defendant’s history and the circumstances of the case. Any waiver must be formally requested and approved by the court.
Homayouni also advised the court that while most evidence has been provided, he is still awaiting body-worn camera footage from the Berkeley Township Police Department. Given this missing evidence and the anticipated Graves Act litigation, the court decided the case should proceed to the grand jury before returning for further proceedings.
Supporters And A Family Fractured
As court staff directed those in attendance into the hallway, Ruby’s owners, Nicole and Nick Guarino, lingered near supporters who had quietly filled the courtroom, many waiting simply to offer a hug or a few words of encouragement.
The couple now lives in Waretown but is originally from Lacey Township. Ruby, their one-year-old French bulldog, was their first dog together. “She wasn’t property. She was family,” Nicole said. “She was like our child.”
Nicole said she is grateful for the continued presence of supporters, many of whom she did not know before Ruby’s death. “Someone reached out to me when this first happened and suggested we start a Facebook group,” Nicole said. “Pat Doyle, who was an attorney is from my town who I never knew before. She’s helped guide me on how to proceed professionally and gracefully in the midst of all of my emotions.”
A lot of the people here are total strangers who just care,” Nicole added. “Seeing them in the courtroom helps more than they probably realize.”
She acknowledged hoping the case might have ended with Lentz taking the state’s offer. “I wish he had taken the offer so this wouldn’t drag out,” she said. “I think the penalty would have been extremely fair if he took it, but I respect the process and the legal system.”
For Nicole, the criminal allegations quickly turned into a deeply personal fracture. She said the case has shattered her relationship with her mother, who she said has blocked contact with her.
And while Nicole added that she has a protection order for herself, she remains fearful for her mother’s safety. “In the beginning of when everything happened, I was really trying to do the work to make sure that she was able to get out of there safely. The last thing she said to me was that she was not afraid of him (Lentz).”
“I didn’t want to put it on blast that my family betrayed me like this,” said Nicole. “It’s not about me; it’s about Ruby. I just hope that no other dog has to go through something like this.”
Lentz is due back in court before Palmer on March 16 at 1:30 p.m. for a track hearing. His appearance before the grand jury will not be made public.
