Toms River Man Convicted For The 2021 Execution-Style Murders Of 2 Men
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 11:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
LAKEWOOD, NJ.- On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, following a nearly month-long trial in Ocean County Superior Court, a jury found Tyshaun Drummond, 42, of Toms River, New Jersey, guilty of two counts of first-degree Murder in connection with the December 2021, early morning execution-style shooting deaths of Nicholas Hardy, 36, of Toms River, and Sergio Chavez-Perez, 32, of Lakewood, New Jersey.
The jury also found Drummond guilty of Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Burglary. After returning their verdict, Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan accepted the jury’s verdict and filed it with the court. Judge Ryan scheduled sentencing for December 13, 2024, at which time Drummond faces spending the rest of his life in New Jersey State Prison.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on December 19, 2021, shortly before 7:30 a.m., members of the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to an apartment complex on River Road for a report of shots having been fired. The Police Dispatcher was also able to provide responding Police Officers with a description of the suspect who fired the shots.
Police Officers Locate And Identify Drummond
Upon arriving at the apartment complex, Police Officers spotted an individual who matched the description, later identified as Drummond. Police Officers ordered Drummond to lay on the ground, and when he failed to comply, Police Officers used a Taser to subdue Drummond.
Police Officers Find Victims
Upon entering an apartment, Police Officers found the bodies of Mr. Hardy and Mr. Chavez-Perez, both deceased from gunshot wounds to their heads. A subsequent investigation by Ocean County law enforcement was able to confirm that Drummond was responsible for the fatal shooting of both. Drummond was then charged for Mr. Hardy’s and Mr. Chavez-Prez’s murders. Drummond has remained in the Ocean County Jail since his initial arrest.
“It has taken nearly three years, but justice has finally been served in this case,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated. “Soon, Tyshaun Drummond will be held accountable for the brutal murders of Mr. Hardy and Mr. Chevez-Perez, as he faces the prospect of spending the rest of his natural born days in prison. We hope this jury verdict affords the loved ones of these victims some semblance of closure,” Prosector Billhimer concluded.
