EATONTOWN — Police in Neptune Township have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in connection with the shooting death of an Eatontown man in March 2008, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

On April 20, the 19-year-old turned himself in to authorities at the Neptune Township Police Department, and was subsequently charged with first-degree felony murder, first-degree armed robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, according to a press release from the Prosecutor's Office.

The charges relate to the March 11, 2008, death of Nathaniel Louis Wiggins, 23, in Eatontown. Because the 19-yearold suspect was 17 at the time of the homicide, he has been charged as a juvenile. As a result, disclosure of the suspect's name is prohibited by state law, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The 19-year-old Neptune Township man is the fourth individual charged in connection with Wiggins' death, according to the press release.

On March 11, 2008, at approximately 10:15 p.m., the Eatontown Police Department received a 911 call reporting shots fired at 264 Route 35 in the borough, according to the press release. Officers responded to the location, where they found Wiggins lying on the floor of his second-floor apartment with a gunshot wound.

Patrol units summoned the Eatontown First Aid Squad and paramedics to the scene, and Wiggins was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, for emergency medical treatment. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 5:36 a.m. March 12, the press release states.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Eatontown Police Department began a joint investigation into Wiggins' death. The filing of charges against the 19-year-old Neptune man is the most recent development in the investigation.

Prior investigative efforts revealed that Kenneth M. Bacon-Vaughters, 19, of Asbury Park; Tahj J. Pines, 23, of Neptune Township; his brother, Aron T. Pines, 19, also of Neptune Township; and the unnamed 19-year-old Neptune Township man traveled together in a motor vehicle to Wiggins' apartment in Eatontown allegedly with the intent to rob him, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

After arriving at the apartment, three of the four men, including the 19-yearold Neptune Township man, exited the motor vehicle and approached the apartment, while the fourth man remained in the driver's seat of the motor vehicle allegedly in order to facilitate a quick getaway after the robbery, the press release states.

After exiting the motor vehicle, the three individuals approached the residence, and one of the men knocked on Wiggins' door, according to authorities.

Wiggins, recognizing the individual who had knocked on his door, opened it in order to allow the individual to enter, apparently believing he was alone, according to authorities.

Before Wiggins closed the door, the other two individuals, both of whom were wearing masks, approached Wiggins. One of the masked men brandished a handgun, according to authorities.

The masked man with the handgun allegedly shot Wiggins once. The three men then ran from the apartment and all four men fled the scene in the vehicle, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Bacon-Vaughters was initially arrested and charged March 26, 2008. Tahj J. Pines and Aron T. Pines were charged March 27, 2008.

Aron T. Pines was 17 years old at the time of the homicide, and was therefore initially charged as a juvenile. However, at the conclusion of a hearing on Oct. 30, state Superior Court Judge Eugene A. Iadanza in Freehold ordered that jurisdiction of the case against Aron T. Pines be transferred from the Superior Court, Family Division, to the Superior Court, Law Division, Criminal Part, and that Aron T. Pines be prosecuted as an adult, according to the Prosecutor's Office. Bail was set at $1 million.

Bacon-Vaughters' bail was set at $2 million by Superior Court Judge James J. McGann. Tahj J. Pines' bail was set at $2.5 million by McGann.

On Nov. 19, a Monmouth County grand jury handed up an indictment charging Bacon-Vaughters, Tahj J. Pines and Aron T. Pines with first-degree felony murder, first-degree armed robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit armed robbery and second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

If convicted of felony murder, Bacon- Vaughters, Tahj J. Pines and Aron T. Pines each face a minimum mandatory sentence of 30 years in state prison during which they would be ineligible for parole, and a maximum potential sentence of a term of life imprisonment, according to the press release.

The term of life imprisonment would be subject to the No Early Release Act, which requires that a defendant serve 85 percent of the imposed sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

If convicted of armed robbery, the three men face a maximum potential sentence of up to a 20-year state prison term, which would also be subject to the No Early Release Act. If convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery or possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, the men each face a maximum potential sentence of up to a 10-year state prison term.

The conspiracy charge is subject to the No Early Release Act. The possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose charge is subject to the Graves Act, and consequently upon conviction, there is a requirement that a defendant serve onethird of the sentence imposed, or three years, whichever is greater, without parole, according to the press release.

The Prosecutor's Office will make a determination shortly on whether to seek to have the 19-year-old Neptune Township man prosecuted as an adult, according to the press release.

If he is prosecuted as an adult and convicted, his potential custodial exposure will be the same as that of the three men named in the indictment.

If the 19-year-old Neptune Township man is prosecuted as a juvenile and adjudicated delinquent, he will face a maximum potential sentence of a term not to exceed 10 years in the N.J. Training School for Boys in Monroe on the felony murder charge, a maximum potential sentence not to exceed four years in the Training School on the armed robbery charge and a maximum potential sentence not to exceed three years in the Training School on both the conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose charges, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Bacon-Vaughters, Tahj J. Pines and Aron T. Pines are currently lodged at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Freehold Township, in lieu of bail.

In a statement released by the Prosecutor's Office, Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said, "The filing of criminal charges against this fourth individual in connection with Wiggins' death is a testament to the tenacity of the detectives investigating this matter.

"Notwithstanding the three arrests, which were made more than one year ago, the investigation has remained active and ongoing," Valentin said. "Our collective goal is to ensure that those responsible for the death of Mr. Wiggins are brought to justice."