UNION, NJ — A Union man has been arrested and charged with the fatal beating of a Maplewood man, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace Park announced Saturday.
Yves Marcellus, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 25-year-old Matthew Murrell. Marcellus fatally beat Murrell last week at a home on Salem Road in Union.
Murrell was found on the lawn of the home and police responded shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 5. He was pronounced dead a short while later.
An intensive joint investigation involving the Union County Homicide Task Force, the Union Police Department, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office resulted in Marcellus being identified as a suspect in the case, and he was arrested without incident at his place of employment on Route 22 in Union Friday night.
Marcellus is at Union County Jail, with bail set at $1 million by state Superior Court Judge Scott J. Moynihan. His first court appearance is expected to be held in the coming days.
Convictions on murder charges are commonly punishable by 30 years to life in state prison.