Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 29-year-old man has been convicted of murder in the fatal beating of a man inside a Beverly City residence two years ago.
Larry Brown was also found guilty on additional charges related to barricading himself inside the home with a woman and four children following the slaying, creating a standoff situation with law enforcement officers who responded to the scene.
After deliberating for several hours over three days, a Superior Court jury on Friday found Brown guilty of Murder (First Degree), multiple counts of Kidnapping (First Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Handgun (Second Degree), Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Third Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree), Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons (Third Degree), Making Terroristic Threats (Third Degree) and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree). Sentencing is scheduled for May 10 in Mount Holly.
The investigation began June 14, 2022 at approximately 1:15 a.m. when the Beverly City Police Department received information that Brown had killed 34-year-old Cecilio Luciano after arriving at the home on Bentley Avenue, and was still inside the residence with a woman and four children.
When Brown refused to exit, crisis negotiators from the New Jersey State Police were called and the woman and kids emerged unharmed over the next several hours. Brown, who primarily resided with a relative in Burlington Township, came out at approximately 8:30 a.m. and was taken into custody.
The NJSP TEAMS Unit entered the home and discovered Luciano’s body. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood indicated the Highland Park resident had been bludgeoned to death. The investigation determined the weapon was a baseball bat.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Beverly City Police Department, Delanco Police Department, Delran Police Department, Edgewater Park Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Crisis Negotiation Team, New Jersey State Police TEAMS Unit, and Riverside Township Police Department.
Brown was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Jamie Hutchinson and Katharine Dolin. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Jenn Marchese and Detective Sgt. Kevin Sobotka.