LAKEWOOD – A 39-year-old Lakewood man has been sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison after shooting a man, resulting in the victim’s death.
On June 13, 2016, Lakewood Township Police Department responded to the area of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Lakewood and discovered a body. Johntel Thomas, 23, of Toms River, was found lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest. Shortly after finding him, police pronounced Thomas dead.
After interviewing witnesses to the shooting, detectives from the Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit were able to acquire video surveillance footage of the incident. Police identified Merrill Spencer, 39, of Lakewood as the shooter and was arrested and charged accordingly.
On December 9, Spencer was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to Aggravated Manslaughter. Spencer will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
