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A grand jury indicted 24-year-old Howard Griswold of Baldwinsville, New York, and 28-year-old Melissa Tikarem of Manlius, New York, on Thursday, May 2 for several charges, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. The pair was charged in the deadly shooting on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Christian Hunter, 32, of Atlantic City, was killed on North Virginia Avenue. Atlantic City police responded to the shooting at around 7:19 p.m. and officers found Hunter unresponsive on a sidewalk with several gunshot wounds.
Hunter was rushed to the AtlantiCare Medical Center, City Division, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A medical examiner's autopsy said a gunshot wound caused his death, which was ruled a homicide.
Investigators said Hunter's pockets had been emptied and his cellphone was missing. Surveillance video showed him leaving his home and walking a short distance before two shots were fired.
A man was heard on the video saying "Give me that s**t" and a Nissan Rogue was seen driving away from the shooting scene. The car was registered to Tikarem and she was seen driving it with a passenger.
Prosecutors said Hunter's friends called his phone after he was killed and it was answered by Griswold. He was staying at Resorts Casino Hotel in a room registered to Tikarem and her Nissan was found in the hotel's parking lot.
Phone records showed Tikarem was in contact with Hunter before he was shot. The records also showed an "ongoing relationship" between her and Griswold.
The couple was caught in the Syracuse area. Tikarem was arrested on Monday, Jan. 29, and Griswold was arrested on Friday, Feb. 9.
Anyone with information about the killing should call the major crimes unit for the county prosecutor's office at 609-909-7666. You can also file an anonymous tip online at ACPO.tips.
You can also call the Crime Stoppers of Atlantic County at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477.
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