4 men indicted in shooting death of N.J. prosecutor’s office detective

A grand jury has indicted four men on murder charges in the shooting death of a county prosecutor’s office detective during a home invasion last year.

A Gloucester County woman was also indicted on charges that she tried to cover up evidence of the crime.

Detective Sgt. Monica Mosley, a veteran with the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, was in her Buckshutem Road home in Bridgeton on Oct. 15 when multiple intruders stormed into the residence, kicking in the front door, according to police.

Mosley, 51, was able to fire three shots from her service weapon, striking one of the masked attackers before she was shot three times, including one round fired at close range to the back of her head, police said.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The four men charged in the case are: Nyshawn B. Mutcherson, 30, of Vineland; Jarred D. Brown, 32, of Bridgeton; Richard B. Hawkins Willis, 33, of Gloucester City; and Byron L. Thomas, 36, of Paulsboro.

A grand jury indicted them last week on first-degree charges of purposeful murder and murder during the commission of a burglary.

They were also indicted on: second-degree counts of burglary, unlawful possession of a weapon without a permit, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and certain persons not to have a weapon because of a prior conviction; third-degree hindering; and fourth-degree obstruction.

Hawkins Willis was also indicted on a fourth-degree charge of tampering with evidence.

All face potential life sentences if convicted.

Cyndia E. Pimentel, 39, of Paulsboro, is accused of helping to cover up evidence of the killing. She was indicted by the grand jury on charges of third-degree hindering and fourth-degree counts of obstruction and tampering with evidence.

Pimentel worked as a police officer with the Camden County Police Department from 2013 until 2015, when she resigned, a spokesman for the agency said last year.

While authorities haven’t officially said whether the killing was related to Mosley’s job as a detective, multiple officials familiar with the case say investigators found no link between the crime and her work with the prosecutor’s office.

While Mosley was killed in Cumberland County, the case was transferred to Atlantic County, and presented to an Atlantic County grand jury, to avoid any conflicts of interest because the victim worked for the prosecutor’s office in Cumberland County.

Police first learned something was wrong at Mosley’s residence when a neighbor called 911 about a disturbance at the detective’s home.

The caller reported hearing a loud banging noise and saw three people running from Mosley’s residence toward the rear of a nearby trailer park, according to a 911 call obtained in response to an Open Public Records Act request filed by NJ Advance Media.

The neighbor said Mosley’s door was smashed.

“Her door is open, it’s busted and I’m trying to reach out to her and she’s not picking up,” the caller said on the 911 recording.

Prosecutors laid out a detailed timeline of what they said happened on the night Mosley was killed.

Hawkins Willis, who was dating Pimentel, drove her SUV from her Paulsboro residence around 7 p.m. and picked up Thomas, Brown and Mutcherson along the way, according to Cape May County First Assistant Prosecutor Saverio Carroccia, whose office is handling the case.

The SUV was later spotted in Bridgeton as it pulled up to a South Avenue residence linked to Brown.

From there, the men traveled to Buckshutem Road, where video surveillance picked up the vehicle just before 10 p.m., Carroccia said.

Mosley was getting ready for bed shortly after 10 p.m. when masked men kicked in the front door, investigators said.

As the intruders entered the home, Mosley fired three shots, striking Mutcherson, according to Carroccia.

She was shot in her right knee, then likely fell to the floor and put up her hand to defend herself from the second shot, which struck her left wrist and traveled through her arm, Carroccia said.

The third shot was fired into the back of her head at a downward trajectory. “Judge, I don’t use this term lightly, but that’s called an execution,” Carroccia said in a court hearing last year.

The prosecutor didn’t identify the shooter, but said the murder weapon has not been recovered.

A bullet that wounded Mutcherson was found in the grass at Mosley’s home and contained his DNA, the prosecutor said. Investigators also said Mosley’s blood was found on one of Mutcherson’s sneakers.

Video surveillance shows the SUV left the area, stopping at a medical facility in Bridgeton where Mutcherson was dropped off for treatment. The vehicle then returned to the South Avenue address, Carroccia said.

The prosecution also accused the defendants of hiding evidence.

On Oct. 18, Pimentel and Hawkins Willis drove to an address associated with Hawkins Willis in Gloucester City, Carroccia said in court.

A search warrant for that property turned up multiple latex gloves and a size-6 boot with blood on it, according to the prosecutor. Two floor mats, pieces of seatbelt and a car part from Pimentel’s vehicle were found in a driveway dumpster.

Later on Oct. 18, Pimentel drove her SUV to Philadelphia with Hawkins Willis as a passenger and left it in a parking garage, Carroccia said.

Evidence to build the case against the defendants came from cellphone data, surveillance video, license plate reader reports, DNA and witness accounts, according to the prosecution.

The murder defendants remain locked up pending trial, while Pimentel is on pre-trial release. While three of the defendants are held in county jails, Mutcherson is in state prison for a parole violation.

All five defendants are scheduled to return to court June 3 for post-indictment arraignment hearings.

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.