Virginia man sentenced to 45 years behind bars

AVirginia man has been sentenced to a 45-year prison term for a 2006 murder and attempted murder in Long Branch.

On Aug. 28, Rahsaan Lewis, 27, of Nathalie, Va., was sentenced for the first-degree crimes that pertain to an August 2006 shooting in Long Branch that left one 30- year-old Long Branch man dead and another Long Branch man seriously injured, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

The sentencing followed a five-week trial in state Superior Court in Monmouth County that commenced on June 10 and concluded July 10, when the jury returned a guilty verdict against Lewis on the murder and attempted murder charges, as well as on a number of related weapons charges, according to police reports.

The trial was presided over by Superior Court Judge Edward M. Neafsey, who also sentenced Lewis.

Neafsey ordered Lewis to serve a 30-year term on the murder charge, which must be served in its entirety without eligibility for parole. Lewis was also ordered to serve a consecutive 15-year term on the attempted murder charge.

The attempted murder charge is subject to the No Early Release Act, which means that Lewis must serve 85 percent of that term, or approximately 12 years, nine months and three days, before he becomes eligible for release on parole.

Evidence presented during the trial revealed that as a result of an incident that occurred between Lewis and Herbert Hoover Lambert Bell Jr., of Long Branch, in 1998, there was an ongoing conflict between the two men. On the evening of Aug. 18, 2006, the tension between them escalated when Lewis exited Murphy's Bar on Division Street in Long Branch and confronted Bell. A brief fistfight ensued, which Lewis lost.

Lewis then departed the area, but returned approximately 10 minutes later armed with a handgun. Witness accounts revealed that Lewis approached Bell from behind and shot him multiple times. During the course of the shooting, an innocent bystander, Ryan Cunningham, now 26, of Long Branch, was struck in his left hip area by one of the rounds discharged by Lewis.

Video-surveillance cameras recorded Bell's final moments, as he ran into Murphy's Bar before collapsing on the barroom floor. Police and paramedics attempted lifesaving efforts, but to no avail. Bell was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cunningham was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township, where he underwent emergency surgery and was hospitalized for eight days. During the trial, Cunningham described the permanent injuries that he sustained from the shooting, including abdominal and intestinal injuries, according to reports.

The shooting was the subject of an investigation commenced immediately by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office in conjunction with the Long Branch Police Department. The investigation quickly discerned that Lewis, a former resident of Long Branch and Neptune City, as a suspect in the shooting.

Initial efforts to locate Lewis were unsuccessful, but on Aug. 22, 2006, investigators, with the assistance of the Halifax County, Va., Sheriff's Department, apprehended Lewis at his Virginia residence. Lewis waived extradition and was returned to Monmouth County on Aug. 24, 2006.

Lewis has been held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in lieu of bail since he was returned to New Jersey, authorities said.

"[July's] jury verdict and [the Aug. 28] sentence were attained only because of the willingness of civilians, members of the community, which was most directly affected by Lewis' violent actions, to come forward and assist law enforcement in their efforts to make the community safe," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said. "These civilians cooperated with police during the investigation and they played a crucial role in testifying during the trial.

"Mr. Cunningham displayed strength and courage throughout the incident and subsequent trial," the prosecutor further stated. "Justice is secured when civilians and victims cooperate with law enforcement."