TOMS RIVER — Jared Krysiak, 34, of Brick Township, has pleaded guilty to desecration of human remains in connection with a series of events, including a murder and dismemberment, that occurred in Toms River and Jackson Township last July. The defendant pleaded guilty before state Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan.
At the time of Krysiak’s sentencing on Feb. 7, the state will be seeking a term of eight years in state prison.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer described the following events in a press release.
On July 5, detectives from the Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Manchester Township Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service located Maxwell Johnston, 35, of Manchester, at a residence on Ravenwood Drive in Toms River; Johnston was wanted in connection with the murder of Gabriella Caroleo, 25, of Seaside Heights, which occurred in Manchester on June 27.
Upon arrival, the marshals successfully called out three of the occupants, later identified as Krysiak, Danielle Bolstad, 42, of Barnegat, and Jared Palumbo, 36, of Manchester.
Johnston and Elizabeth Mascarelli, 29, of Seaside Heights, remained in the residence, however, and it was learned that Johnston was armed.
Negotiators attempted to have Johnston surrender himself peacefully; those attempts were met with negative results. After several hours, Mascarelli exited the residence and was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River to be treated for injuries sustained in the standoff.
The residence was subsequently cleared using a drone, and Johnston was located in a bedroom with an apparent self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound to his head. A defaced .22 caliber handgun and a 9mm handgun were found in the residence.
In investigating the death of Caroleo, detectives discovered evidence that a murder may have been committed at the Ravenwood Drive residence on or about July 3 and that evidence of that murder might be found at a property in Jackson Township.
On July 12, law enforcement officers executed a court-authorized search warrant on the property on Toms River Road in Jackson Township. There, they discovered numerous body parts in black bags along with additional evidence connected to the murder, including a hatchet, according to the prosecutor.
On July 13, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office examined the body parts, and was able to identify the victim as the owner of the Ravenwood Drive residence, Kerry Rollason, 56. The medical examiner concluded that the cause of Rollason’s death was homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma.
“Continuing investigation revealed that Mascarelli conspired with Johnston, and was, in fact, the individual responsible for Mr. Rollason’s death,” the prosecutor stated.
It was also determined that Mascarelli, Krysiak and Bolstad assisted Johnston with dismembering Rollason’s body, and Mascarelli, Krysiak, Bolstad and Palumbo assisted Johnston in disposing of the body in Jackson Township, the prosecutor stated.
On July 13, Krysiak was charged with hindering apprehension and desecration of human remains. Originally a fugitive from justice, Krysiak was taken into custody on July 16, in Marlboro by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Toms River Township Police Department. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since that date.
On Oct. 24, Krysiak, Bolstad and Palumbo were indicted by a grand jury on charges of hindering apprehension and desecration/distributing of human remains. The charges against Bolstad and Palumbo remain pending.
On the same date, Mascarelli was indicted on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of Rollason, along with numerous weapons offenses, hindering apprehension and desecration/disturbing of human remains.
On Dec. 9, Mascarelli pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter before Judge Ryan. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 31.
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