Manchester Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Senior Community Slaying

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the killing of a man who was found dead in the street in Leisure Village West in July 2019, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday.

Thomas Hatchett, 88, must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Hatchett pled guilty before Judge Michael T. Collins on Oct. 23 to a charge of aggravated manslaughter in the July 1, 2019, killing of Igal Hedad, 71, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Hedad was found face-down bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head in the street in front of the Leisure Village West home of Hatchett and a bullet hole in the front door.

The prosecutor's office's SWAT team went into the home, but found no one there, Billhimer said. The investigation found Hatchett had previously lived in Verona, so they contacted Verona police. Verona police then found Hatchett and brought him to police headquarters, where detectives from Manchester and the Ocean County prosecutor's office interviewed him.

He was arrested and has been in the Ocean County Jail since.

"Hatchett committed a brutal and senseless act on July 1, 2019," Billhimer said. "For all intents and purposes, given this defendant’s advanced age, the prison term imposed by Judge Collins is tantamount to a life sentence."

"Hatchett will most likely spend the balance of his remaining days exactly where he belongs - behind bars. Our hope is that this sentence affords the family of Mr. Hedad some level of peace and closure," Billhimer said.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill handled the case on behalf of the state. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Regional SWAT Team, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Manchester Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Verona Police Department were involved in the investigation.

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