Murder trial delayed after attorney's car involved in Toms River hit-run

TOMS RIVER â€" A Long Branch lawyer whose car was involved in a hit-and-run accident in which a pedestrian was injured Friday night, had his client’s murder trial adjourned Tuesday while authorities investigate the accident.

Defense attorney John Koufos of the law firm Koufos and Norgaard was in Superior Court on Tuesday for what was supposed to be the opening of the retrial of a North Carolina man accused of murdering a Toms River teenager.

Instead, Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson adjourned the trial of Koufos' client, Dennis Thigpen, 34, of Robersonville, N.C., who was to be retried for the June 5, 2008, gang-related slaying in Lakewood of Anthony Skyers, 18, of Toms River.

Hodgson said the ongoing investigation into the hit-and-run accident involving Koufos' car and the fact that Koufos now will have to testify about it to a grand jury would pose a distraction to the defense attorney.

Hodgson said it would be "prudent under the circumstances to adjourn the trial.''

Koufos agreed with the judge that the accident investigation would be distracting to him, and added: "I haven't been declared a target.''

Koufos said an assistant was arrested in connection with the hit-and-run accident. The attorney said he hasn't had access to his files in the murder case because they were in the car that is part of the accident investigation.

On Saturday, police reported they arrested Craig Terlizzi of Brick in the hit-and-run accident that injured Kevin O'Brien, 17, of Newton, Pa. Terlizzi is a legal assistant with the Koufos and Norgaard law firm.

Deputy Chief Michael Mohel of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said the accident investigation remains ongoing.

“We cannot comment on who or what the investigation is about at this time,” he said.

O'Brien remained in critical condition at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, police said. O'Brien underwent surgery for leg and head injuries.

“We have spoken to some family members and his condition is improving,” said Toms River Police Chief Michael G. Mastronardy.

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Terlizzi, 40, was charged with numerous motor-vehicle violations, including endangering, leaving the scene, failure to report an accident and reckless driving, police said.

He told police he was operating a 2011 Lexus, which belonged to Koufos.

Mantoloking police located the Lexus parked on Downer Avenue before midnight Friday.

It was damaged and had a broken windshield, police said.

Several witnesses told police that the car sped up after striking the teen while he walked with friends on Route 35 in the Silver Beach section Friday night, police said.

The pedestrians had just gone to get ice cream when the victim was struck while walking on the side of the road, police said.

There are several witnesses, including the driver of the car behind the car that struck the teen, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Toms River police at 732-349-0150 or county investigators at 732-929-2027.

Meanwhile, Hodgson scheduled a conference in the case of the delayed murder trial for Aug. 1.

Thigpen had been tried last year for Skyers' murder, but the jury was unable to reach an unanimous verdict on the murder charge and a charge of unlawful possession of a weapon. That panel, however, convicted Thigpen of conspiring to commit the murder and possessing a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He is to be retried on the charges for which the previous jury could not reach a verdict.

A co-defendant, Dyshon Ragland, 24, of Lakewood, was convicted in March of Skyers' murder and related crimes and was sentenced in May to 62 years in prison.