Burlington County Acting Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Beverly City Public Safety Director Rich Wolbert announced that the person who barricaded himself inside a Beverly City residence last week has been charged with killing a man in the home prior to the ensuing standoff with law enforcement.
Larry Brown, 27, was charged yesterday with Murder (First Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree) and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree).
Brown was served with the warrant at the Prosecutor’s Office. He has been lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly on charges stemming from the June 14 incident at the Bentley Avenue residence. A detention hearing will be held soon in Superior Court.
The investigation began after the Beverly City Police Department was contacted on that date at approximately 1:15 a.m. by a woman who said she had just spoken to Brown, who was inside the home. She told police that Brown indicated 34-year-old Cecilio Luciano had been killed in the residence a short time earlier.
Police became aware that a woman and four children resided at the home and were present with Brown. When contacted by police, Brown refused to exit the house, but the woman and kids emerged unharmed over the next several hours. Brown came out at approximately 8:30 a.m. and was taken into custody.
The New Jersey State Police 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.
Brown, who primarily resided with a relative in Burlington Township, was charged last week with Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons, Kidnapping and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, all second-degree crimes.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Beverly City Police Department, Burlington County Bridge Commission Police Department, Delanco Police Department, Delran Police Department, Edgewater Park Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Riverside Township Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.
The lead investigators are BCPO Detectives Jenn Marchese, Kevin Sobotka and Andrew Ridolfi.
Brown will be prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Bob Van Gilst, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit – Violent Crimes Section.
All persons are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.