A man from Asbury Park who broke into a stranger’s residence in 2021 and committed robbery, threats, and sexual assault against the occupants has received a 40-year prison sentence, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
37-year-old Shawn Connolly was sentenced by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Henry P. Butehorn, who specified that the term is to be served under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, requiring 85 percent completion before the chance of parole. The sentencing was announced on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, September 14, 2021, a 911 call led Asbury Park Police Department members to a home on 7th Avenue just before 5:30 a.m. Connolly was located and apprehended upon their arrival without resistance, with stolen items recovered from his possession. An investigation revealed that the male and female victims woke up to Connolly in their bedroom, equipped with a knife and issuing threats after entering through a kitchen window.
The female victim was sexually assaulted during the robbery while the male victim stepped out of the room to fetch money. He utilized the opportunity to call 911, maintaining the line open.
Despite being indicted in November 2021, Connolly’s trial didn’t commence until September 2023. The jury, after a little over two weeks of legal proceedings, found him guilty on multiple charges including first-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault, first-degree Armed Robbery, second-degree Burglary, second-degree Sexual Assault, third-degree Making Terroristic Threats, and three weapon-related offenses. Connolly is also mandated to register under Megan’s Law as a sex offender and will be under Parole Supervision for Life alongside his imprisonment.