NJ man found guilty of murder and hostage situation at house

🔺 NJ man convicted of brutal murder

🔺 Woman and kids held hostage for hours

🔺 Standoff closed nearby school for a day

BEVERLY — A 29-year-old man has been found guilty of beating a man to death and then holding a woman and children hostage for several hours, Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw announced.

Larry Brown, who primarily lived with a relative in Burlington Township, was convicted of first-degree murder in the June 2022 killing of 34-year-old Cecilio Luciano at a Beverly City home.

Brown was also found guilty of kidnapping and additional charges related to barricading himself inside the home with the woman and four children, sparking a SWAT standoff with law enforcement.

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Luciano, a resident of Highland Park, had been beaten to death with a baseball bat just after 1 a.m. on June 14, according to Bradshaw.

The hostages were eventually released unharmed, before Brown then exited the house around 8:30 a.m. and was arrested.

The home where the killing and standoff happened is directly across the street from Beverly City School — which remained closed for a day as a safety precaution. It serves students from prekindergarten through 8th grade.

In Brown's trial, a Superior Court jury in Burlington County deliberated for several hours over three days, before returning the verdict on Friday.

Sentencing was set for May 10.

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