NORTH BRUNSWICK – A North Brunswick man has been sentenced to serve up to 80 years in a New Jersey state prison for fatally shooting his next-door neighbor in 2014.
Roland E. Amos, 44, was sentenced to the term on May 8 for murder, hindering his own apprehension and related weapons offenses in the slaying of Brian A. Hoey, 43.
Under the terms of the sentence handed down in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves, the defendant must serve 40 years in custody before he can be eligible for parole, according to a statement prepared by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
A five-year mandatory term was included in the sentencing of the defendant, who was prohibited from having a weapon, since he had previously been convicted of weapons offenses in prior, unrelated cases, Carey said.
Amos was sentenced to the term after he was found guilty on Feb. 28 of murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon and hindering his own apprehension. A jury also found him guilty of being a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing the handgun.
During a trial that began on Jan. 18, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine D’Elia and Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Fabrice Charles presented evidence and testimony showing Amos shot Hoey multiple times on Sept. 1, 2014, outside an apartment complex where both men were next-door neighbors, according to the statement.
Amos was charged following an intensive month-long investigation by Detective Robert Powell of the North Brunswick Police Department and Detective Gregory Morris of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.