Man found guilty in murder-for-hire death of his father, N.J. authorities say

An Ocean County man was found guilty of the murder of his father in 2019 after he paid another man to carry out the killing, authorities said.

Mark J. Austin, 34, of Brick Township, was also convicted of unlawful possession of a weapon and now faces life in prison when he is sentenced later this year, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Sept. 7, 2019, officers from the Brick Township Police Department were called to an Acorn Drive home and discovered the lifeless body of Mark Richard Austin, also of Brick Township, the office said.

Mark Richard Austin was initially found bludgeoned to death on his sofa Sept. 7 by a friend who was stopping by the residence to drop off chips and water in his home on Acorn Drive in Brick, authorities said.

Detectives later determined that Austin and Jeray Melton 34, of Salem City, had conspired to kill the Mark Richard Austin, officials said. They learned that Austin agreed to pay Melton in exchange for killing his father.

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