Colts Neck teen pleads guilty to attempted murder, carjacking

A Colts Neck teen pleaded guilty Thursday to stabbing a township woman in her home before carjacking her vehicle, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced Thursday in a press release.

Brennan Doyle, 18, was 16 years old when he committed the alleged crimes in 2013. He entered a guilty plea before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Francis J. Vernoia, P.J.Cr., to one count each of first degree carjacking and first degree attempted murder.

"During his court appearance, Doyle admitted that he repeatedly stabbed the victim in her home in Colts Neck with the intent of killing her, and then fled the home in the victim’s motor vehicle," the acting prosecutor said in the press release.

Doyle is now facing a sentence of 14-15 years in a New Jersey state prison. In addition, he is subject to the provisions in the "No Early Release Act," meaning that he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of that sentence before he will be eligible for parole. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 29.

According to authorities, the incident took place on July 7, 2013. Colts Neck Police received a 911 call around 12:30 a.m. from the victim, stating she had been stabbed by "an unknown assailant." When police and EMS workers arrived at the woman's home, they found that she had been stabbed several times and was in critical condition. She was hospitalized for several days and later released.

"A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Colts Neck Police Department revealed the victim heard some noise coming from the outside of her house and when she went to open her door to investigate, the assailant pushed his way into her house and stabbed her several times and left her for dead," the prosecutor's office said in the press release. "Doyle then took the keys to her car and fled the scene in her vehicle parked in her driveway. The vehicle was recovered in Aberdeen later that same morning."

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Laurie B. Gerhardt, Director of the Office’s Family Division. Doyle is represented by Mitchell Ansell, Esq. of Ocean Township, who could not be reached for comment Thursday night.