Eatontown Man Charged With Attempted Murder: Monmouth Prosecutor

FREEHOLD, NJ - Monmouth County authorities have charged a Neptune man with the attempted murder of a woman at the Pan American Motel in Eatontown in January 2017, Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

Marqwell Nichols, 27, was arrested and charged on Tuesday night in connection with the attempted shooting of the 26-year-old victim. Nichols is charged with one count of first degree attempted murder, one count of second degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and one count of second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The Eatontown Police Department responded to the Route 35 motel on a report of shots fired at approximately 8:35 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2017. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Eatontown police began a joint investigation for the next 10 months that culminated in Nichols' arrest, Gramiccioni said.

Anyone with additional information regarding the attempted shooting should contact Detective Wayne Raynor of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at (800) 533-7443 or Detective Jason Cardamoni of the Eatontown Police Department at (732) 542-0100.

Nichols faces up to 20 years in state prison for the attempted murder charge, subject to the "No Early Release Act" which requires him to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. He would also be under parole supervision for five years after his release from state prison, Gramiccioni said.

Nichols faces another five to ten years in prison if he is convicted of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

He also faces up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted of the unlawful possession of a weapon and/or unlawful possession of a firearm. That term would be subject to a minimum of one third of the sentence or 42 months, whichever is greater, without parole.

Nichols' detention hearing is slated for 9 a.m. on Dec. 4, before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman, P.J.Cr.

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