By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that on Tuesday, June 3, Aahznier Hayes, 24, of Westampton, pleaded guilty to first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter and second-degree explicit contact in exchange for a 21-year term in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act.
As part of the agreement, Hayes will have to serve 85% of the sentence before he is eligible for parole and will subsequently be subject to Parole Supervision for Life and Megan’s Law Registration, ACPO officials say.
According to Atlantic County officials, on August 30, 2023, at approximately 12:09 a.m., Kenneth Raymond, 52, of Ventnor, was discovered by an Atlantic County Justice Facility officer lying bloody and unconscious in a jail cell.
Raymond was being held in jail after being charged with criminal trespass, Atlantic County officials said. One of his cellmates, Aahznier Hayes, was observed standing over Raymond. Blood was found on Hayes’ clothing and hands.
A witness advised detectives from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Major Crimes Unit that Hayes told Raymond that he “wanted to fight him” during the previous day, ACPO authorities stated.
Atlantic County officials said that later that same day, the witness reported seeing Hayes throwing punches at Raymond while Raymond was shouting out, “Why are you doing this?” Hayes subsequently jumped up and down on Raymond after he was motionless on the ground.
Raymond succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the Atlantic City Medical Center – Mainland Division. Hayes was detained in jail after being arrested on June 20, 2023, for second-degree explicit contact for an incident that occurred on February 11, 2023, according to Atlantic County officials.
In that case, ACPO authorities stated that Hayes met a thirteen-year-old girl online and, after arranging to meet her in person, travelled to her home and drove her to a secluded location where he asked the girl to perform an explicit act on him inside his car.
The girl’s mother reported her missing, and Franklin Township Police quickly located a suspicious motor vehicle parked behind a community center, in which Hayes was in the driver’s seat with the zipper to his pants down and the girl hiding in the back seat of the car, Atlantic County officials said.
ACPO officials say Hayes later confessed to committing the explicit act on the girl. Hayes had no previous criminal history prior to these crimes.
Sentencing is tentatively scheduled before the Honorable Donna Taylor, J.S.C., on August 18, 2025, pending an evaluation at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel, according to Atlantic County officials.