Woman survived best friend’s first murder attempt — but not the second, indictment says

FREEHOLD — A grand jury has returned a nine-count indictment charging two people with shooting Tyrita Julius — one of them, the 41-year-old Linden woman's best friend.

Julius had been missing for months when, in August, she turned up buried in the backyard of a Long Branch home. Months earlier, she and her teenage daughter had been found in their car — each shot several times, but each surviving that incident.

The investigation into that November, 2015 incident in Linden was ongoing when, in March of this year, Tyrita Julius’ mother, Queen Julius, called the Linden Police Department to report her daughter missing, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.

"Ms. Julius told authorities that Tyrita had been spending time with a female friend in Tinton Falls on March 8, but failed to return home later that evening," the prosecutor's office said in an announcement of the indictments Monday.

Police tried to reach her by phone and by text message, with no luck, the prosecutor's office said. But Queen Julius also told police her daughter "was reportedly dropped off at the Long Branch Train Station at approximately 7 p.m., by her friend, Jennifer Sweeney of Tinton Falls," the prosecutor's office said.

The drop-off never happened, authorities say. It's that friend, Sweeney, police say ultimately killed Julius with Andre Harris, 32, of Long Branch. Police say they found Julius body at Harris' home.

Both face charges that include first-degree attempted murder in the 2015 shooting, and murder a 2016 shooting authorities said killed Julius. They're also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, with desecrating human remains, with weapons offenses and with tampering with evidence.

The charges could ultimately result in sentences of several decades — the murder charge alone includes a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison, ineligible for parole.

Sweeney was described as a good friend of Julius ,and the two spent time together in Tinton Falls just before Julius disappeared, Monmouth County Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said earlier this year.

Even though she was involved with the shooting of Julius, prosecutors say, Sweeney visited Julius in the hospital after the 2015 shooting.

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