Local man accused of three
killings in Burlington County
MONROE — A former township man was charged last week with three counts of murder and one count of felony murder in the shooting deaths of three residents of North Hanover, Burlington County, Jan. 5, according to Detective Sgt. Jack Smith of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Brian J. Tykot, 35, who authorities said had been living on Garvey Drive with a girlfriend for a short period of time, is being held at the Burlington County jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
Tykot was charged with the murders Jan. 9 while he was being detained in an Ocean County jail in connection with an unrelated matter, and was then transported to the Burlington County jail.
The arrest came four days after the bodies of Gary Nevius, 49, his brother, Edward, 43, and Jill Fort, 46, were discovered by a friend of theirs who went to visit them where they lived in the California Village Trailer Park in North Hanover.
Authorities were contacted by the victims’ friend, who reportedly told police he entered the trailer after knocking on the door and getting no response. When he saw the three bodies on the floor of the trailer, he drove to a nearby diner and called police.
North Hanover police and state police from the Fort Dix and Red Lion stations responded to the scene, according to Smith. Detectives from the state police Major Crimes Unit and the Troop C Criminal Investigation Unit in Princeton joined in the investigation.
Authorities said their investigation led to several significant leads, pointing to Tykot as the prime suspect.
"We believe the suspect went to the trailer in the early morning hours [of Jan. 5]," Smith said. "We’re saying a burglary occurred. He [Tykot] was an acquaintance of one of the brothers."
Tykot was transported to the Burlington County jail after police issued a warrant for his arrest.
Smith said that Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi may seek the death penalty if a conviction is made in the case.
Tykot has also been charged with stealing $1,000 in cash from the trailer and other items that included collectibles, Smith said. Authorities believe all three victims died as a result of being shot. One or more of the victims was also stabbed. Authorities said they have located a knife at an Ocean County lake that may have been used in the murders.
Smith said Tykot led investigators to the lake where the knife was allegedly discarded.
The shotgun allegedly used to kill the Nevius brothers and Fort, who reportedly was Edward’s girlfriend, has not been recovered by police, Smith said. Authorities said they believe Tykot gave the gun to an individual living in Ocean County.
"Our investigators have shown that he transferred the shotgun believed to be used in the commission of the homicides to an unknown individual in Ocean County," Smith said. "That individual, we believe, did not know the shotgun was used in the commission of a murder."
Smith said police are still searching for the man they said was given the gun.
"We’re still making a plea that the individual [who has the gun] contact any law enforcement agency," Smith said.
Tykot, according to police, was unemployed at the time of his arrest.