Murder Charges Filed After Stabbing Victim Dies in Toms River

Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford today announced that murder charges have been filed against Steven Rosado, 20 years old, a resident of Lakewood Township in connection with a Saturday stabbing of a man in Toms River.

Prosecutor Ford has released the following update to this investigation:

“At about 1 AM Saturday morning, Toms River Police received a call from the Community Medical Center Emergency Room reporting that a stabbing victim, later identified as Kevin Copes, 24 years old, of Lakewood Township, was brought to the emergency room. The victim subsequently succumbed to these injuries.

“Toms River police immediately commenced an investigation into the incident, together with homicide detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Our initial investigation indicates that the stabbing may have occurred in Toms River, near or at the Briar Knolls Apartment Complex.

“As a result of that investigation, we determined that Steven Rosado, 20 years old, a resident of Lakewood Township, was involved in a fight with the victim, and that we believe probable cause has been established to implicate Mr. Rosado in connection with the crime. Murder charges have been authorized by my office.

The defendant has been charged with murder. His bail has been set at $750, 000 no 10 % option by the Honorable James N. Blaney, J.S.C.

This is a continuing investigation. Anyone with information about this crime is requested to contact Sgt. Carlos Trujillo-Tovar of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, 732-929-2027, or Detective of the Toms River Township Police Department at 732-349-0150.

The Prosecutor’s Office and the Toms River Township Police Department are also investigating a shooting which occurred in the Gilford Park section of Toms River, at or about the same time. We are not at liberty at this time to rule out any connection between the two incidents. The victim in that shooting is expected to recover from his injuries, notwithstanding that the injuries were certainly life threatening.”

Posted by Ocean County News on Jul 1 2012. Filed under Police Blotter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.