Woman accused of helping murder suspect who ended up killing himself in standoff

Elizabeth Cheryl Mascarelli was charged with helping Maxwell Johnston flee capture after he murdered Gabriella Caroleo, prosecutors say. (Mug shot of Mascarelli and image of Johnston: Ocean County)

The search for a murder suspect came to a bloody end on Friday, but even though he is dead, prosecutors have work ahead of them. They claim that a woman let him stay at a home for days even though she knew about the homicide and his alleged involvement in it.

Elizabeth Cheryl Mascarelli, 29, is locked up without bond at a jail in Ocean County, New Jersey , records show. She is charged with hindering a fugitive from justice.

The story starts with the murder victim, Gabriella Caroleo, 25, who was shot to death in Manchester Township on June 27 . Authorities sought Maxwell Johnston, 35, for the homicide. They said they tracked him down east to the township of Toms River, along the Jersey Shore.

This, however, sparked a nearly six-hour stand off at a home on the 1900 block of Ravenwood Drive. U.S. Marshals, who participated in the standoff, managed to call out three people inside, but Johnston, who was armed, and Mascarelli stayed inside, prosecutors claim .

They say Johnston ultimately killed himself and Mascarelli wound up at a hospital for injuries.

“Negotiators attempted to have Johnston surrender himself peacefully; those attempts were met with negative results,” they wrote. “After several hours, Mascarelli exited the residence and was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River to be treated for injuries sustained throughout the standoff.  The residence was subsequently cleared using a drone, and Johnston was located in a bedroom, deceased, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.”

The question was how and why Johnston was at the home in the first place. Prosecutors claim that Mascarelli let him stay with her at the residence for four days, even though she knew about Caroleo’s murder and Johnston’s alleged involvement in it.

No hearing is currently scheduled in her case.

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