FREEHOLD, N.J. — A Monmouth County judge has sentenced a 19-year-old Asbury Park man to 45 years in state prison for the fatal 2022 shooting of a local resident, authorities announced Thursday.
Joseph N. Argilagos was convicted in December 2024 of murdering 19-year-old Dariel Vernet in a Prospect Avenue shooting. He was sentenced Tuesday by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill Grace O’Malley and must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.
Key Points:
- Joseph Argilagos sentenced to 45 years for the 2022 shooting of Dariel Vernet
- Co-defendant Lydell Brown received five years for conspiracy to commit murder
- Argilagos was originally charged as a juvenile and waived to adult court in 2023
Victim shot multiple times on Prospect Avenue
The shooting occurred shortly after 5:45 p.m. on July 8, 2022, in the area of Prospect Avenue near Atlantic Avenue. Officers with the Asbury Park Police Department arrived to find Vernet suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center but died approximately an hour later.
Following an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and local police, Argilagos and co-defendant Lydell Brown were identified as suspects. Argilagos was apprehended days later, while Brown was arrested in Toms River in May 2023 with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Teen suspect tried as adult, found guilty on all counts
Argilagos, originally a juvenile, was waived to adult court in September 2023, prior to being indicted along with Brown. A Monmouth County jury found him guilty of all charges in December 2024. In addition to the murder sentence, he received a concurrent seven-year term for weapons offenses under the Graves Act.
Brown, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder after the jury deadlocked on his charges, was sentenced on March 12 to five years in prison with 85 percent parole ineligibility.
Prosecution cites coordinated investigation and quick arrests
The investigation and prosecution were led by Assistant Prosecutors Caitlin J. Sidley of the Major Crimes Bureau and Alexandra Strzykalski of the Trial Division. Both defendants were residents of Asbury Park at the time of the crime.
Argilagos was represented by Mark Bailey, Esq., while Brown was represented by Emeka Nkwuo, Esq., of Lomurro Law.