Seaside Heights, NJ man pleads guilty to murdering woman and taking off

A Seaside Heights man who had been arrested and charged with murdering a woman at a borough motel last year and later overdosed himself has now pleaded guilty.

To this day, 51-year-old Gerardo Ruiz of Seaside Heights, remains in a secure medical facility, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

Something happened in the late night/overnight hours heading into May 1, 2021.

Seaside Heights said that they received a phone call around 7:30 am that morning about someone who said they knew Ruiz killed a woman at the Offshore Motel located on the Boulevard in the borough.

Police responded to the scene and said they found 29-year-old Alecia Perreault of Seaside Heights dead at the scene with apparent wounds to her neck.

Ruiz was found at the Surfside Motel located a short distance away on Ocean Terrace and had suffered a drug overdose.

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Prosecutor Billhimer and police said that he was then brought to Community Medical Center in Toms River and was in Ocean County Sheriff's Office's custody during that time.

The investigation by the OCPO Major Crimes Unit, OCSO, and Seaside Heights Police Detectives later tied Ruiz to the death of Perreault.

Ruiz has now pled guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter in the death of Alecia Perreault and when he is sentenced in December, Prosecutor Billhimer said that the State will be recommending a term of thirty-five years in New Jersey State Prison.

He had been indicted back in May of 2022.

Prosecutor Billhimer said that Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Kimberly Carr is handling the case on behalf of the State.