A Lieutenant of the New Jersey State Police, who also served in the security details of Governor Phil Murphy, supposedly followed his ex -girlfriend at Casa del Labor on Friday night and fatally shot her and her new boyfriend.
The shootings occurred near a residence in the Pittstown section of the municipality of Franklin. Lauren Semanchik, 33, a local veterinarian, and Tyler Webb, 29, were found dead on Saturday by apparent gunshot wounds, said Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office in a press release.
Ricardo Jorge Santos, with the New Jersey State Police, is accused of shooting Semanchik and Webb before committing suicide, prosecutors said. It was found dead in a white Mercedes SUV parked in Piscataway. A gun was located inside the vehicle, according to the launch.
The Middlesex County Forensic Physician office preliminary his death as suicide.
The State Police did not immediately respond a comment request on Tuesday.
A spokesman for Governor Murphy said: “We are shocked and devastated by this horrible tragedy.”
“Due to the application of application of the law currently currently, we will refrain from comments at this time,” said the spokesman.
Semanchik and Webb had recently begun, prosecutors said. Previously a relationship with Santos had ended around September. After the rupture, Semanchik had accused Santos of participating in “harassing and controlling the behavior,” according to the press release.
The prosecutor said that Semanchik had installed a video security system in his car, and showed him that they left work in Long Valley on Friday when a SUV White Mercedes retires from a parking space and follows it closely until he gets home.
The video showed a person “surreptitiously walking through the wooded area along the entrance path that leads to residence,” prosecutors said. Webb’s vehicle arrived at the house and parked next to the Semanchik vehicle.
The prosecutor said that the police of the municipality of Franklin was initially called to the area just after 7 pm on Friday for shots and screams reports. The officers, however, found nothing.
On Saturday afternoon, the Police Department received another 911 call informing that a woman had been found unconscious in a house. The officers who responded located the bodies of Semanchik and Webb.
Prosecutor Renée Robeson described the deaths as a “meaningless and devastating loss.”
“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones and loved ones of Dr. Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb, whose lives were taken tragically in an act of domestic violence,” Robeson said in a statement.
“We urge anyone who experiences threats, harassment or abuse to seek help and know that he is not alone,” he said. “The resources are available, and there is strength to get. Together, we will continue working towards a safer future for everyone.”
Semanchik’s mother, Jennine Semanchik, told NJ.com that her daughter met Santos online at the beginning of 2024. He said that after the relationship ended, Santos repeatedly approached. His daughter called the Local Police that he was looking to present a restriction order, but one was not issued, said Jennine Semanchik.
The police of the municipality of Franklin and the prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond a request for comments on Tuesday.
