Within 16 hours of a Lakewood man's Monday morning gunshot death on a township street, a suspect is charged with his murder.

Merrill C. Spencer (Ocean Co. Dept. of Corrections)
Merrill C. Spencer (Ocean Co. Dept. of Corrections)
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Merrill C. Spencer, 34, also of Lakewood, also faces two weapons-related counts in connection with the death of Johntel Thomas, 23, according to the office of Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato.

He is being held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, in lieu of $1,000,000 bail.

Local police fielded a 911 call at 6:34 AM Monday, concerning a black male who appeared unconscious on the sidewalk. Detectives found a gunshot wound in the area of Thomas's left ribs.

The county Medical Examiner's team pronounced Thomas dead as investigators began canvassing for witnesses and reviewing surveillance images culled from the vicinity of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Alder Street..

Detectives then executed a search warrant for a dwelling in the township that Spencer was known to occupy.

Authorities said that Spencer was arrested without incident at an address on Martin Luther King Boulevard at 10:30 PM Monday.

 

The Prosecutor's Office reminds that criminal charges are accusations, and that defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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