MAYS LANDING – A Mays Landing man was convicted of vehicular homicide in connection with a 2012 crash that claimed the life of his passenger, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
On July 2, 2012, at 3:25 a.m., Hamilton Township Police, Township of Hamilton Rescue, Cologne Fire Department, and AtlantiCare Paramedics responded to Leipzig Avenue in the area of the Atlantic City Race Course for a one-car motor vehicle accident involving an overturned vehicle.
The investigation determined that Michael T. McMunn Jr., then 20, of Mays Landing, had lost control of the 1993 Jeep he was operating, causing the vehicle to overturn and come to rest on the shoulder of the roadway.
His sole passenger, Richard Kisby Jr., 21, of Estell Manor, was ejected from the vehicle. Kisby was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
McMunn was transported by helicopter to the AtlantiCare Medical Center—City Campus, where he was treated for serious injuries.
An investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Collisions Unit and the Hamilton Township Police Department led to the arrest of McMunn on Aug. 8, 2012, charged with vehicular homicide for driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and operating it in a reckless manner that resulted in a fatal motor vehicle accident. McMunn was lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility in lieu of $250,000 bail. He later posted bail, and was released pending court.
On February 21, 2013, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted McMunn for one count of vehicular homicide—a 2nd degree crime.
Today, after a 7-day trial before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Kyran Connor, an Atlantic County jury found McMunn guilty.
The defense argued to the jury that the driver was not McMunn, but rather the dead victim, Richard Kisby.
The State presented physical and testimonial evidence—including McMunn’s own admissions to police and an emergency medical provider at the accident scene and at the hospital—that placed Kisby in the passenger seat, and McMunn behind the wheel.
Judge Connor continued McMunn’s release on bail pending sentencing, scheduled for Oct. 17, 2014.
A 2nd degree criminal conviction carries a potential penalty of incarceration in New Jersey State prison for 5-10 years.
Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy represented the State in the case.
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.
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