TOMS RIVER – Two men, one from Toms River, the other from Seaside Heights, have been indicted following the investigation in the Hampton Gardens shooting that occurred on March 5, 2018, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.
On March 5, 2018, Toms River Police responded to the area of 26 James Street in the Hampton Gardens apartment complex, where they found the unresponsive body of Steven Stallworth outside the doorstep. Police discovered Stallworth had suffered a gunshot wound and was then transferred to Newark Beth Israel Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem exam deemed Stallworth’s death a homicide.
The investigation led police to believe that Hill and Barksdale conspired and enacted the murder of Stallworth. According to police, the suspects relocated to a separate local hotel. Upon searching their room, the suspects were found to be in possession of cocaine and heroin.
Both Hill and Barksdale remain at the Ocean County Jail.
The investigation was conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit, the Toms River Police Department, the Ocean County Sherriff’s Department Criminalistics Investigation Unit, New Jersey State Police, the Manchester Police Department, the Lacey Police Department, the Seaside Heights Police Department, and the Brick Police Department.
Lead investigators in the case were Detective John Carroll of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Detective Lou Santora of the Toms River Police Department, with assistance from the OC Sheriff’s CIU. Supervising Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Michael R. Weatherstone is prosecuting the case.
