A New Jersey state policeman, who had previously been tasked with protecting governor Phil Murphy, shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend before taking his own life. According to reports, he stalked her for months after their separation.
Hunterdon County prosecutors said Monday that Franklin Township officers responded to a complaint of an unconscious female at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday and hurried to a Pittstown residence.
After reaching the spot, police found 29-year-old Tyler Webb and 33-year-old Lauren Semanchik dead from gunshot wounds. Prosecutors have described the incident as a “targeted attack,” as per NY POST.
Investigators promptly named 45-year-old Lt. Ricardo Santos of the New Jersey State Police as a potential suspect and started looking for Semanchik's ex-boyfriend.
Ricardo Santos found dead
Shortly after the search started, Santos was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the prosecution. He was found next to a semiautomatic handgun, which is thought to have been the murder weapon.
{{/usCountry}}Shortly after the search started, Santos was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the prosecution. He was found next to a semiautomatic handgun, which is thought to have been the murder weapon.
{{/usCountry}}As the probe continued, police officers later learned that Franklin Township police officers received a 911 call in the vicinity of Semanchik's home the night before, where the operator even heard “audible gunshots and screaming.” However, they were never able to determine the source of the noises.
Police further noticed that Semanchik, a veterinarian, placed cameras in her vehicle after claiming that Santos was chasing her.
In footage obtained by the police, she was seen leaving in her vehicle from Long Valley veterinarian clinic at 5:25 p.m. on Friday.
Prosecutors said that Webb's car pulled up to the house almost 30 minutes later and parked beside Semanchik's car.
Lauren Semanchik's family gives chilling details
Semanchik's father first saw his daughters' and Webb's bodies on Saturday, telling CBS News that it seemed like “she was running away”. Her sister, Deanna, stated, “She was shot in the back.”
The family described the terrifying sequence of events that started in September 2024, when Semanchik broke up with Santos.
Santos and Semanchik broke up with each other after three months of dating. Soon after this, the trooper started stalking and "harassing" her, as per her family.