2 men sentenced for Franklin, NJ barber shop homicide

Two men, one from New Jersey and one from Georgia, have been sentenced to a total of 45 years behind bars in connection with a homicide in 2020, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

Tayyab Ware, 31, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison, including 30 years of parole ineligibility. Todd Smith, 32, was sentenced to 10 years. Smith had pleaded guilty to robbery for his role in the deadly incident.

Franklin Township police responded on Nov. 2, 2020, to numerous reports of a shooting victim inside a barber shop on Hamilton Street. Responding officers located a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim, 34-year-old Denny Sanchez, of Franklin Park, was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Following a two-month homicide investigation, Smith, of Edison, was apprehended by authorities without incident. He was in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest.

The investigation also led detectives to Augusta, Georgia, where Ware was apprehended without incident at a residence.

Ware was convicted in February of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree robbery, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

​​