April 3, 2020
FREEHOLD – Three men are facing charges related to the shooting of a 20-year-old Eatontown man last month, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
John Carozza, 18, of the 400 block of South Laurel Avenue in Middletown; Rashahn Tucker, 19, of the 100 block of Seabreeze Avenue in Middletown; and Leo Morabito, of the first block of North Shore Street in Keansburg, are each charged with two counts of first degree attempted murder, one count of second degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and one count of second degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. All three men are being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution pending a future court date.
Eatontown Police were dispatched to 174 Main Street on Friday, March 13, 2020 at 4:54 p.m., in response to a 911 call for a man shot. Upon arrival police found a 20-year-old Eatontown man with gunshot wounds. He was transported to an area hospital where he was treated for a serious injury.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call Detective Stephen Cavendish of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or Detective Brett Paulus of the Eatontown Police Department at 732-542-0100
If convicted of Attempted Murder, each of the men faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in a New Jersey state prison, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act” (NERA) requiring them to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. Each would also be under parole supervision for five years following release from state prison.
If convicted of the second degree crimes, they each face a sentence of five to ten years in prison. Each of these crimes is subject to the Graves Act, which requires a mandatory period of parole ineligibility of one half of the custodial sentence imposed, or 42 months, whichever is greater.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Decker, Director of the Office’s Major Crimes Bureau.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.