Plea in 2020 EHT killing could lead to second shooter

A plea in an Egg Harbor Township killing could lead to a second shooter who has long been referred to but never identified.

Neco Pitts, 31, of Long Branch, Monmouth County, pleaded guilty Thursday to fatally shooting Arturo "Arty" Barrera III in a robbery gone wrong.

Pitts said that he and two others planned to steal the drugs and sell them. Instead, he fired a gun at Barrera, leading to his death.

"I fired at his legs," Pitts told Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury.

Barrera, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene .

Pitts and co-defendant Leonard Ludwigsen were arrested 14 months later.

Ludwigsen admitted to being the getaway driver. His statement to detectives later was thrown out after defense attorney Lou Barbone successfully argued that a detective filed to "scrupulously honor" his right to remain silent .

The suppressed admission still left Ludwigsen outside the home at the time of the shooting. It did not solve the report that two masked men had shot Barrera.

Now that question could be answered.

"Also included in that conspiracy to rob the house, was there a second shooter?" Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy asked.

"Yes," Pitts replied.

"Somebody other than Ludwigsen," the judge clarified.

Pitts faces 15 years in prison under the plea agreement with 85 percent of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act. But he could get even less time if he identifies that second shooter and testifies at trial, or the second shooter pleads guilty.

If that happens, Pitts could apply for a downward departure post-sentencing, and have three years removed from his sentence.

Under the current plea agreement, Pitts must give truthful testimony at Ludwigsen's trial, which is set for January.

Pitts' sentencing is currently scheduled for Nov. 21. That could change due to a scheduling conflict with the prosecutor.

Pitts is currently in New Jersey State Prison, serving a four-year sentence that includes aggravated assault, child endangerment and terroristic threats out of Monmouth County, Department of Corrections records show.

He is eligible for parole in that case Nov. 12, 2025.