ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

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COPS: SHE
WAS KILLED
ON 2ND TRY

THURSDAY 08.18.16

Missing woman found dead in Long Branch;

police charge close friend in her murder

Secret police
lawsuit settled
by Stafford
for $34,000
ERIK LARSEN
@ERIK_LARSEN

STAFFORD - A local Navy veteran who sued the

mayor and chief of police, accusing them in a lawsuit of
using the township police department to conduct a
baseless criminal investigation of him, has settled the
civil case in state Superior Court for $34,000.
The litigation came after an Asbury Park Press investigation last year found that in June 2014, Mayor
John Spodofora had secretly enlisted the Stafford
Township Police Department he oversees to investigate who was behind a parody Facebook page making
fun of him.
The plaintiff in the suit, Earl Galloway, 52, named
Stafford Township, Spodofora and now-retired Police
Chief Joseph Giberson III as defendants in the case.
The settlement was first made public Wednesday by
John Paff, chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Partys Open Government Advocacy Project and its Preempted Ordinance Repeal Project.
Under the terms of the settlement, which was signed
in June, all of the parties have agreed never to disparage one another again nor discuss the settlement pubSee LAWSUIT, Page 11A

PHOTOS BY TANYA BREEN (ABOVE) AND THOMAS P. COSTELLO (BELOW AND BOTTOM)/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni speaks to Queen Julius, the mother of Tyrita Julius (top) as he
announces murder charges for Jennifer Sweeney of Tinton Falls (bottom) and Andre Harris of Long Branch (below).

ALEX N. GECAN @GEEKSTERTWEETS

AND ANDREW FORD @ANDREWFORDNEWS
USA TODAY

LONG BRANCH A day after their long-missing

loved one was found buried in a Long Branch backyard, a crowd of supporters for Tyrita Julius roared
in court at the close friend charged in her murder.
Murderer! one woman shouted.
Rot in hell! another onlooker spat as the accused
first walked in the courtroom.
It had been a trying 24 hours for friends and family of Julius, who have spent an agonizing five months
wondering what had happened to her ever since she
disappeared on March 8. On Tuesday night, they got
their answer, officials say: Jennifer Sweeney, 33, of
Tinton Falls, also described as Julius good friend,
and Andre Harris, 32, of Long Branch were charged
with her murder, as well as desecration of human remains and tampering with physical evidence in connection with Julius killing.
And it wasnt the first time Julius friend had
tried to kill her, prosecutors say.

Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez of Old Bridge displays her

silver medal from the womens balance beam finals.

Should Olympians
pay income tax
on their medals?
MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

Be sure to visit us online at APP.com for the latest on Tyrita Julius

TRENTON - New Jerseyans have beat out the

worlds best swimmers, gymnasts and rowers and
earned gold in the 2016 Olympics.
But they cant beat the tax collector.
Sen. Samuel Thompson, R-Middlesex, hopes to
change that, announcing legislation on Wednesday that
would exempt New Jerseys Olympians from paying
state income taxes on winnings or their medals.
Its a shame that these athletes who have reached
the pinnacle of their sports have to face the burden of
paying this tax once they get home, Thompson said in a
news release.
Under current law, athletes must pay federal and
state income tax on monetary awards for Olympic performance and the value of Olympic medals themselves.
The U.S. Olympic Committee awards $25,000 for
gold medals, $15,000 for silver medals and $10,000 for

story, including photos, videos and much more.

See TAXES, Page 14A

See CHARGES, Page 7A

This is not the way we wanted it to end.

We wish it could have been different. We
wish we could have found your daughter.
CHRISTOPHER GRAMICCIONI
MONMOUTH COUNTY PROSECUTOR, ADDRESSING THE FAMILYOF TYRITA
JULIUS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

Looking
for gold
Ajee Wilson of Neptune
advances to womens
800-meter semis. 1C

Tens of thousands await word

about homes as fast-growing
wildfire roars in California. 1B

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VOLUME 137
NUMBER 198
SINCE 1879