Ezra Simon–Daniels
Ezra Simon–Daniels, of Branchburg Township, was charged with two murders in the first degree on Saturday, Feb. 13. He is being held on $2 million bail.
Police did not immediately identify the victims, but described them as elderly.
At 5:57 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, Readington Township police received a 911 call from a reportedly distraught Mr. Simon-Daniels, who said he was in the Walmart parking lot on Route 22 east of Whitehouse.
Readington police responded and met with Mr. Simon-Daniels, 20, who was seated in the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle. Police said he was covered in blood but did not have any visible wounds on his body.
At about 6:15 a.m. Readington police contacted Branchburg police and asked for assistance in conducting a welfare check at Mr. Simon-Daniels’ residence on Readington Road. After knocking several times and getting no response, officers entered and discovered an elderly male and female, both apparent homicide victims. Both victims had significant blunt force trauma to their heads. A search of the residence by the officers for additional victims proved negative. Branchburg and Readington Township officers secured the property as a crime scene.
Detectives from the Branchburg Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Somerset County Crime Scene Investigations and Forensic Unit conducted an investigation. An investigator from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office also responded to assist in the investigation.
Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said the preliminary investigation revealed that both victims were lying in bed when they were assaulted. The suspected murder weapon was an aluminum baseball bat, which was located inside the house.
Post-mortem examinations of the victims will be conducted by the regional medical examiner’s office to confirm their identities, cause and manner of death.
Mr. Simon-Daniels has been charged with two counts of murder in the first degree.
After processing at Branchburg Township police headquarters, Mr. Simon-Daniels was lodged in Somerset County Jail on $2 million bail set by Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober.
