Hamilton Man, Earl Kelly, Receives 12-Year Sentence in State Prison

After a six-day trial, the Morris County jury found Kelly guilty on three counts related to weapon possession and criminal restraint.

On June 12, 2023, Earl Kelly, a 38-year-old Hamilton, NJ resident, was sentenced to 12 years in New Jersey State Prison, announced Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert M. McNally, and Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Chief Richard Pantina.

Following a six-day trial, a Morris County jury convicted Kelly on April 20, 2023, on three counts. These charges include second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and third-degree Criminal Restraint. 

Despite facing an additional four counts of sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, Kelly was acquitted on these charges.

The trial presented evidence that on December 24, 2021, Kelly met a 19-year-old female at the Holiday Inn in Parsippany, NJ. He then restrained her in the room for a while, brandishing a handgun. Following an investigation, the Edison Police Department apprehended Kelly on January 7, 2022.

The Honorable Stephen J. Taylor, P.J.Cr., handed down the aggregate 12-year prison sentence on June 8, 2023. Judge Taylor imposed concurrent eight-year sentences for the Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and the Unlawful Possession of a Weapon counts, both subject to the Graves Act, which stipulates the defendant serve at least four years before becoming eligible for parole. 

Additionally, the Judge imposed a four-year sentence for the count of Criminal Restraint, which will run consecutively to the eight-year sentence for the Unlawful Possession of a Weapon count.

Prosecutor Carroll extended his gratitude towards the agencies that contributed to the investigation resulting in the guilty verdict. These include the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the Edison Police Department, the Hamilton Township Police Department, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit. 

Carroll also acknowledged the efforts of former-Assistant Prosecutor Vanessa Craveiro, Assistant Prosecutor Lucas J. Gatti, Detective Jenna Powers, former MCPO Detective Thomas Laird, and others who assisted in the successful prosecution of the case.