Dual Spartan Athlete Denied Bail Reduction by Judge

Former Paramus High School dual-sport athlete and incoming William Paterson University student, Tyler Garguilo, 19, remains in a West Virginia jail cell after a judge denied a bond reduction request Wednesday afternoon. 

The Paramus native has been charged with malicious wounding along with 19-year-old Dominick Posillipo of Garnerville, N.Y.; 20-year-old Christian Ascolese of Stony Point, N.Y.; 21-year-old Ryan Herbert of Morgantown; and 19-year-old Franklyn Soto, of West Haverstraw, N.Y., after allegedgly beating Matthew Tovar, 42, of Corpus Christi, Texas on August 22 outside of Morgantown, West Virginia bar. Tovar's skull was fractured in the attack, initially was in critical condition, but has since been released from a hospital.

An unidentified juvenile was also charged with malicious wounding and held at the Juvenile Detention Center on $100,000 bond.

West Virginia TV station WBOY reported that Garguilo, Posillipo, and Ascolese waived their preliminary hearings and their cases will now go to a circuit court and be reviewed by a Grand Jury. Garguilo's attorney argued for a bond reduction from his $500,000 bail but was denied by Magistrate Saundra Holepit.

Garguilo, Posillipo and Herbert are currently being held in the North Central Regional Jail in Monongalia County. Ascolese is free on a $25,000 bail while Soto was recently allowed to return to New York on bail.

The former Spartan football and baseball player who graduated in June, was visiting a friend at West Virginia University in Morgantown when the group he was with confronted Matthew Tovar. A fight ensued, and surveillance cameras captured the group beating, punching and kicking the 42-year-old in the face and head, police said. Police Chief Ed Preston told The Dominion Post he won't release the surveillance video as it is considered evidence in an active investigation.

If convicted, Garguilo could face up to 10 years in prison rather than returning to Northern Jersey and attending William Paterson University where he was expected to don a Pioneers uniform in the spring for the baseball team. His current status at WPU is unknown.

During his time at , Garguilo was a star centerfielder leading the Spartans to its first county championship game, batting .412 and stole 29 bases his final year. On the gridiron, he earned 25 touchdowns to his name as a freshman running back and later switched to a receiver position for his sophomore and senior years.

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