Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Mount Laurel Police Chief Stephen Riedener announced that homicide charges have been filed against a 45-year-old Marlton man who is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and causing the death of a Mount Laurel man during a high-speed collision on Hainesport Road in Mount Laurel in late summer.

Desmond Newberry, of Erynwood Avenue, was charged with Aggravated Manslaughter (First Degree), Vehicular Homicide (First Degree), and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree). The case will now be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.

The investigation began on September 3 when officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department were dispatched to Hainesport Road in the area of the Cucina Carini restaurant for a report of a motor vehicle collision just after 8 p.m.

The investigation determined that Glenn Keen, the owner of the restaurant, was pulling out of the parking lot onto Hainesport Road when he was struck by a vehicle traveling westbound being driven by the defendant. Keen, who was extricated from his vehicle by civilians prior to the arrival of police, was airlifted to Temple University Hospital, where he later died.

Newberry was extricated from his vehicle by the Mount Laurel Fire Department and transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

A warrant was secured to allow investigators access to the event data recorder from Newberry’s BMW, which revealed that he was traveling in excess of 120 miles per hour just prior to striking Keen’s Ford SUV.

Newberry was lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly after surrendering to law enforcement on November 7. A detention hearing will be held tomorrow in Superior Court.

Newberry is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Dennis, supervisor of the BCPO Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit. The investigation was conducted by the Mount Laurel Police Department Traffic Unit, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police. The lead investigator was MLPD Sergeant Nicholas DiGirolamo, who was joined on the case by Officer Jeffrey Herrmann.

NAll persons are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.