SEASIDE HEIGHTS – A Seaside Heights man has been sentenced to 35 years in New Jersey State Prison for killing a woman just before he overdosed on drugs.
Gerardo Ruiz, 51, previously pleaded guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter in connection to the death of Alecia Perreault, 29, of Seaside Heights.
Police received a call in the early hours on May 1, 2021. The caller claimed that Ruiz had killed a woman at the Offshore Motel, and was staying at the Surfside Motel.
When police arrived at the Offshore Motel, they found a woman, later identified as Perreault, with wounds to her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly after, police arrived at Ruiz’s room at the Surfside Motel for questioning but found he had experienced an apparent drug overdose.
Ruiz was brought to Community Medical Center in Toms River under protective custody of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.
Ruiz’s sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, meaning that he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr who handled the case on behalf of the State, as well as the as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their combined and collective efforts in connection with this investigation resulting in Ruiz’s apprehension, guilty plea, and now his lengthy state prison sentence.
