Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *News Release*         Date: September 17, 2010
 
 

 

 

 


Five juveniles sent to adult court, charged with Old Bridge murder

 

 

          Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan announced that five juveniles, who were arrested and charged following the death of Dr. Divyendu Sinha of Old Bridge, were charged today with murder, after a Family Court judge granted a request by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office to move the case to Superior Court, where the defendants will be tried as adults.

 

          The five defendants, all residents of Old Bridge, also were charged with assaulting Dr. Sinha’s, two sons, ages 16 and 12, during the attack on Dr. Sinha, who died on June 28, 2010.

 

The defendants, charged today with murder and two counts of aggravated assault, are expected to appear in Superior Court next week. A hearing date was not immediately set.

 

The adult charges were filed after Superior Court Judge Jane Cantor, sitting in Family Court in New Brunswick, signed an order permitting the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office to try the juveniles as adults.

 

After the charges were filed, the juveniles were identified as: Cash Q. Johnson, (DOB 5/13/93) Steven K. Contreras, (DOB 4/21/93) Christian M. Tinli, (DOB 9/8/92) Christopher Conway, (DOB 7/29/93) and Julian C. Daley (DOB 6/13/94).

 

Tinli, who is now 18 years old, was 17 at the time of the attack and, by law, was initially charged as a juvenile.

 

The judge set bail in various amounts, ranging from $300,000 to $450,000 for each of the defendants, who are being held at the Middlesex County Youth Detention Center in North Brunswick. The defendants must post the full amount of bail before they can be released.

 

Bail for Tinli and Conway was set at $450,000 each; bail for Daily was set at $400,000; bail for Contreres, $350,000, and Johnson, $300,000.

 

At the request of Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Kuberiet, Judge Cantor ordered that in the event the defendants post bail, they cannot have any contact with the victim’s family and cannot have any contact with each other.

 

In addition, they may not have access to the crime scene or the victim’s family’s home, including the entire Oakwood housing development.

 

They also would be prohibited from attending any school or school function in Old Bridge, and would remain under house arrest between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

 

The adult charges were filed as a result of the on-going investigation by Detective Greg Morris of the Old Bridge Police Department and Investigator Paul Miller of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

 

The investigation began after police received a call at 11:42 p.m. on June 25, 2010, and arrived to find Dr. Sinha had been beaten.

 

He was walking with his wife and two sons on Fela Drive in Old Bridge when the defendants got out of a car and attacked Dr. Sinha and his sons. No weapons were used in the assault. His sons sustained minor injuries. His wife was not harmed.

 

Dr. Sinha was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where he died on June 28, 2010. An autopsy determined that the cause of death was due to a head injury.

 

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Morris of the Old Bridge Police Department at (732) 721-5600, or Investigator Miller of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4466.