MURDER – (Washington Twp/GloucesterCounty)
Press Release from GCPO 11/17/2022
On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at approximately 10:26 a.m., Washington Township Police Department officers responded to the parking lot of the Birches Apartments, Fries Mill Road, Turnersville for the report of gunshots. Upon arrival, Washington Township officers located 39-year-old Victor Marrero, Jr. in the parking lot, deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. The suspect, Zachary A. Lahneman, 26, a resident of the apartment complex, was taken into custody nearby after a witness identified him as the shooter to police. Investigation disclosed that Marrero resided a short distance from the scene of the shooting, and that he and Lahneman were observed in a verbal/physical altercation prior to the shooting. On 11/17/22, an autopsy was conducted by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s Office, which confirmed the cause and manner of death to be gunshot and homicide. Through immediate follow-up investigation, detectives from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and Washington Township Police Department promptly charged Lahneman with the following crimes: Murder Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose Unlawful Possession of a Weapon Lahneman was lodged in the Salem County Correctional Facility pending further proceedings. Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of their rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State Law.
Anyone with additional information relevant to this investigation is encouraged to contact Detective Krystal Santiago of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, at 856-384-5508, or Detective Frederick Volpe of the Washington Township Police Department, at 856-589-0330 ext. 1102.