Brick Township Resident Receives Life Sentence for Murder Conviction

According to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, on January 8, 2026, Mark J. Austin, 34, of Brick Township, was sentenced to life in New Jersey State Prison without the possibility of parole - in connection with the death of his father, Mark Richard Austin, also of Brick Township, which occurred at his home on September 7, 2019.

On October 2, 2025, Mark J. Austin was found guilty of Murder following a nearly five-week-long jury trial before Judge Ryan. The jury also found Austin guilty of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

On Saturday, September 7, 2019, Officers from the Brick Township Police Department were summoned to a residence on Acorn Drive and discovered the victim’s lifeless body with apparent blunt force trauma.

Following a thorough and extensive investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Major Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, it was determined that Austin and Jeray Melton 34, of Salem City, had conspired to kill the victim. Mark J. Austin and Jeray Melton were charged accordingly and taken into custody on September 13, 2019, and have been incarcerated since that date.

Subsequent investigation determined that Austin agreed to pay Melton in exchange for killing his father. On October 7, 2021, Austin was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on the charges of Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. On February 25, 2020, Melton pled guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter before Judge Ryan and is pending sentencing.

“This sentence underscores the calculated and merciless nature of Austin’s crimes. By orchestrating the murder of his own father, Austin forfeited any right to now ask the Court for mercy,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated. “Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole reflects the severity of the crimes committed, delivers permanent accountability, and ensures that Austin will never again have the opportunity to harm another human being,” Prosecutor Billhimer added. “While no sentence can undo the harm caused, we are hopeful that today’s outcome delivers some sense of peace and justice to the loved ones of Mark Richard Austin,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.