October 19, 2020
FREEHOLD, NJ (MONMOUTH)–A Long Branch man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder and attempted murder, stemming from a 2018 shooting inside a Long Branch restaurant, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
On October 16, 2020, Miguel Camara, 42, of Long Branch, was sentenced by the Honorable Vincent Falcetano, J.S.C., to 40 years in New Jersey State Prison with 38 ½ years of parole ineligibility. Camara previously pled guilty to first degree Murder, first degree Attempted Murder, and third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, in connection with the killing of Marco Moreira, attempting to kill Fernanda Silva, and endangering the welfare of Silva’s 5-year-old child.
Camara had previously entered his guilty plea on July 15, 2020, before Judge Falcetano.
On August 21, 2018 at approximately 3:15 p.m., Long Branch Police Officer George Samol was flagged down by a motorist on Broadway who reported a fight inside the Bom DMais restaurant and a shot fired through the front window. Officer Samol responded to the restaurant and observed two males and one female wrestling with Camara who was holding a gun. Officer Samol unholstered his duty weapon and ordered Camara to drop the weapon. As the 18-year-old son of Fernanda Silva was able to gain control over Camara’s gun, Camara immediately turned to Officer Samol and grabbed ahold of his duty weapon, trying to take possession of it. Officer Samol was able to wrestle the gun from Camara as additional officers arrived on scene. After Camara was placed under arrest, officers observed the victim, Marco Moreira lying deceased on the floor of the business. He was pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Long Branch Police Department determined Camara entered the Bom DMais restaurant and approached the table where his ex-girlfriend Fernanda Silva, her two children ages 18 and 5, and Marco Moreira were seated. Camara threw a Final Restraining Order obtained by Silva less than a month earlier on the table, pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Marco Moreira’s head several times before shooting him. A struggle then ensued between Silva, her 18-year-old son and Camara for the gun. During the struggle Camara repeatedly pointed the gun at Silva, firing it twice but missing her. Silva’s five-year-old daughter was a few feet away during the struggle.
The sentence requires that defendant will serve 30 years New Jersey State Prison sentence with a 30 year period of parole ineligibility on the murder, a 10 year New Jersey State Prison sentence on the Attempted Murder charge, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act, which requires that the defendant serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole and 5 years New Jersey State Prison for the Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The Attempted Murder sentence will run consecutively to the Murder sentence, and the Endangering sentence will run concurrently, for an aggregate 40 years in New Jersey State Prison with 38 ½ years of parole ineligibility. Camara will also be under parole supervision for five years following his release from state prison and will face deportation back to his home country of Portugal.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Hoda Soliman and Emily Cartmell.
Miguel Camara is represented by J. Michael Wicke, Esq., of Freehold
