Richard Busby, 61, formerly of Newark, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for his role in a July 31, 2011 home invasion robbery and arson in Freehold Township, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Nov. 30.
State Superior Court Judge Paul Escandon, sitting in Freehold, sentenced Busby, who must serve a minimum of 30 years before he is eligible for parole. Among the factors noted by Escandon in arriving at the sentence was Busby’s extensive prior criminal history, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Beginning with a conviction for armed robbery and related offenses in 1978, Busby amassed 11 prior felony convictions. He was found guilty of felony murder, robbery and attempted murder following a jury trial in September.
According to the prosecutor, in the early morning hours of July 31, 2011, Busby and his accomplice Jeffery Mayhue broke into the Jackson Mills Road, Freehold Township, home shared by Michael Conway and Cheri Plamondon. Conway and Plamondon were held at gunpoint and bound with zip-ties while the intruders searched their home for money, marijuana and other items of value.
During the robbery, Conway broke free and struggled with the intruders. Conway was shot and killed. The intruders then set fire to the residence and fled. Plamondon was able to free herself and escape the burning home.
An investigation led to the arrests of Mayhue and Busby. Mayhue previously pleaded guilty to charges of armed robbery and felony murder. On Sept. 7, 2016, Mayhue was sentenced to 30 years in prison and must serve 30 years before being eligible for parole, according to the prosecutor.
Subsequent to Mayhue’s plea, charges were signed against additional accomplices: Ellis Goodson, 41, of Neptune, and Ranu Sinha, 39, of Freehold. In connection with the Freehold Township case, Goodson and Sinha each pleaded guilty to a charge of armed robbery, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Goodson and Sinha also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of armed robbery that arose out of a separate home invasion robbery in 2011. That incident occurred on May 14, 2011 at a residence on Brickyard Road in Howell.
In the Howell incident, Mayhue entered the residence with a handgun, bound the occupants and stole a large sum of money. Goodson and Sinha were charged and subsequently pleaded guilty to being accomplices to the planning of that robbery.
Goodson was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison by Superior Court Judge Joseph Oxley, sitting in Freehold. Sinha was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Escandon, according to the prosecutor’s office.