Last night detectives discovered the body of Tyrita R. Julius, 41, who has been missing since March 8, 2016. Monmouth County prosecutors say 33-year-old Sweeney and 32-year-old Andre Harris were charged Tuesday with murder, desecration of human remains and evidence tampering in the death of 41-year-old Tyrita Julius.
Advertisement
Sweeney and Harris were scheduled for court Wednesday. Bail for Harris and Sweeney was set at $1.5 million cash each.
Police were called to the 200 block of Joline Avenue in Long Branch Tuesday afternoon.
“Significant efforts were made to bring us to the discovery we all feared – Tyrita Julius died a tragic death”. The friend told Julius’ family she had dropped her off at the Long Branch train station. “The outcome could not have been achieved without close cooperation among multiple police departments and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office”, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said. Sweeney, Harris and Julius were considered friends.
Additionally, prosecutors said the two suspects also were responsible for a 2015 shooting in which a gunman pumped several rounds into Julius and shot at her young daughter, grazing her, as the two sat in their auto in front of their Linden home.
Julius went missing after heading to meet with a friend in Monmouth County. Investigators also connected to Sweeney and Harris to a double shooting last November that injured both Julius and her 15-year-old daughter.
In March, Tyrita’s mother called Linden police after she did not return home and phone calls and text messages were not returned.
Advertisement
“Tyrita was not dropped off at the Long Branch Train Station, instead Tyrita was murdered”, Gramiccioni said. Julius previously survived a double shooting inside her auto in Linden while with her 15-year-old daughter.
