Detectives Investigating Woman’s Murder Find Another Man’s Remains In Bags

Four New Jersey residents accused of harboring a man suspected of fatally shooting his girlfriend now stand accused of helping him conceal another killing, after police discovered body parts from a dismembered corpse on the property.

The case began on June 27, when Manchester township police say Maxwell Johnston, 35, killed Gabriella Caroleo, 25, and went on the run, according to an press release . Caroleo was discovered by authorities with a gunshot wound to her stomach and was airlifted to a hospital, where she died of her injuries.

Caroleo’s family told local news station WACP that she and Johnston had dated, Caroleo’s mother said that her daughter had called her hours before the shooting and feared she was in danger.

Caroleo’s sister told WACP that Johnston “taunted” the family while he was on the run, even during Caroleo’s funeral.

Authorities eventually found Johnston on July 5 at a home in the nearby township of Toms River, along with Elizabeth Mascarelli, 29, Danielle Bolstad, 42, Jared Krysiak, 34, and Jarred Palumbo, 36, the Ocean County prosecutor’s office said in a release this week . Bolstad, Krysiak, and Palumbo came out, but Johnston and Mascarelli remained inside.

After failed attempts by law enforcement to negotiate to get the two to come out, a standoff ensued, according to the press release. Mascarelli came out the home after several hours and was taken to the hospital to treat injuries sustained in the standoff; authorities didn’t immediately say how she was injured. Johnston was found dead in the bedroom with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.

Prosecutors said Mascarelli knew Johnston was on the run for murder and had allowed him to stay at the home in Toms River for four days, according to the release.

During their investigation into Caroleo’s death, detectives learned that there may have been another murder at the Toms River home on July 3, while Johnston was hiding out there, according to the press release. Authorities said they were led to a home about 15 miles away in Jackson, where they found evidence of a separate killing, including a number of body parts inside black bags.

The Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim of the second killing as Kerry Rollason, 56, who owned the Toms River home. He died from multiple gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma, according to the release. Investigators believe Johnston killed Rollason.

A defaced firearm found at the home belonged to Mascarelli, prosecutors said in the press release. Mascarelli, Bolstad, and Krysiak allegedly helped Johnston dismember Rollason’s body, and with the help from Palumbo, they disposed of it.

Mascarelli, Bolstad, Krysiak, and Palumbo were all charged with hindering apprehension and desecration of human remains.

It’s unclear whether they have an attorney representing them.

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