Man in Standoff With Beverly, NJ, Police Now Charged With Murder

Burlington County Acting Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw says the man who barricaded himself inside of a home in Beverly last week has now been charged for allegedly killing a man in that home prior to having a standoff with police.

27-year-old Larry Brown of Burlington Township has been charged with first-degree murder and related weapon charges in connection to the death of 34-year-old Cecilio Luciano.

Authorities say the scene unfolded around 1:15 AM on June 14th when the Beverly City Police Department was contacted by a woman who said she had just spoken to Brown, who was inside of a home near Bentley Avenue and Cherry Street. She told authorities that Brown indicated Luciano had been killed there a short time earlier, according to Bradshaw's office.

When contacted by police, Brown refused to exit. A woman and four children who were inside were able to leave hours later; they were not injured. Brown came out at around 8:30 that morning and was taken into custody.

Video from WPVI-TV from the morning of June 14th:

The New Jersey State Police TEAMS Unit entered the home and discovered Luciano’s body. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood indicated the Highland Park resident had been bludgeoned to death. The investigation determined the weapon was a baseball bat.

Brown has been held at the Burlington County Jail since the incident on second-degree certain persons not to have weapons, second-degree kidnapping, and second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon charges.