Atlantic County Jail Inmate Pleads Guilty For Killing Fellow Inmate In 2023
Thursday, June 5, 2025, 11:20 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MAYS LANDING, NJ.- A 24-year-old Westampton, New Jersey, man initially detained in the Atlantic County Justice Facility for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and charged with beating a fellow inmate to death inside the jail in the late summer of 2023 will be facing over 20 years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday in connection with both incidents.
According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, Aahznier Hayes, 24, formerly of Westampton, New Jersey, appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Donna Taylor to one count of first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter; and second-degree Sexual Assault.
Hayes Will Be Required To Serve 21 Years In State Prison
In return for the guilty plea, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Hayes be sentenced to 21 years in State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Hayes to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole and will be subject to parole supervision for life and be required to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law restraint.
Following entering his guilty plea on Tuesday, Judge Taylor accepted the plea and tentatively scheduled sentencing for August 18, 2025, pending an evaluation at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel, New Jersey.
According To The Charging Documents Filed With The Court
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, on August 30, 2023, shortly after 12:00 a.m., Kenneth Raymond, 52, of Ventor, New Jersey, was discovered by an Atlantic County Corrections Officer lying bloody and unconscious in his jail cell. Raymond was being detained in jail after being charged with criminal trespass. One of Raymond’s cellmates, Hayes, was seen standing over him. Blood was found on Hayes’ clothing and on his hands.
A witness told Detectives of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit that Hayes told Raymond that he “wanted to fight him” the day before. The witness further told Detectives that he saw Hayes throwing punches at Raymond while Raymond was shouting, “Why are you doing this?” After knocking Raymond to the ground, Hayes continued to jump up and down on Raymond after he lay motionless on the floor of the jail cell. Raymond later succumbed to injuries inflicted by Hayes and was pronounced deceased at Atlantic City Medical Center.
Hayes was initially detained after being taken into custody on June 20, 2023, and charged with second-degree sexual assault in connection with an incident that occurred on February 11, 2023. In that case, Hayes met a 13-year-old girl online, and after arranging to meet her in person, he traveled to her home and then drove to a secluded area where he asked her to perform a sexual act on him inside his car.
The girl’s mother reported her missing, and Franklin Township Police Officers quickly located a suspicious vehicle parked behind a community center, in which Hayes was in the driver’s seat with his pants zipper down and the young girl hiding in the back seat. Hayes later confessed to committing the sexual act on the girl.
