Seaside Heights man murders woman at motel, then overdoses

A Seaside Heights man is being charged with Murder as he recovers from a drug overdose he suffered following the homicide on Saturday at the Offshore Motel in the borough.

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Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the murder charge Monday against Gerardo Ruiz, 50, of Seaside Heights following the death of Alecia Perreault, 29, of Seaside Heights, early in the morning on May 1.

Seaside Heights Police received a phone call Saturday morning around 7:30 am from someone who said they had "knowledge that Ruiz killed a female at the Offshore Motel in Seaside Heights."

The caller told police that Ruiz was staying at the Surfside Motel in Seaside Heights.

When police responded to a room at the Offshore Motel, they found Perreault with apparent wounds to her neck.

She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Police then responded to Ruiz’s room at the Surfside Motel and discovered that he experienced an apparent drug overdose.

Ruiz is currently in the protective custody of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office at a medical facility and is listed in serious but stable condition.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau led them to identifying Ruiz as the individual responsible for Perreault’s death.

“The Ocean County Medical Examiner has preliminarily determined this to be a homicide but the cause and manner are currently pending further testing,” Prosecutor Billhimer said in a statement.

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