A New Jersey neighborhood has been rocked after a triple murder-suicide. Vaughn Stewart opened fire in the early morning after breaking into the house where the mother of his children was living with her parents. First, he shot the older couple before chasing down his estranged partner and killing her. He then went back into the home and killed himself. Not much has been shared about Stewart and his relationship with the woman he killed. There may have been a history of domestic violence if they were living separately, but that’s speculation. For now, the older couple is being remembered fondly by those who knew them.
It is still unknown why Stewart broke into the home.
About 5 a.m. March 10, 2026, officers from the Berkeley Township Police Department responded to a residence about report of shots fired, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a news release.
The officers noticed a man entering the home when they arrived, and then they heard gunfire inside. Members from the Ocean County Regional SWAT Team made their way into the home, where they found two people dead from apparent gunshot wounds, the release noted. Those two victims were identified as 61-year-old Allan Russell and his wife, 60-year-old Michelle Russell.
Their daughter, 38-year-old Deonna Stewart, was found shot 50 yards from the residence.
As officers continued through the home, they found the man they had seen earlier, 37-year-old Stewart, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the prosecutor’s office’s release. He was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was later declared dead.
Three young children were found in the home.
After shooting the Russells, Vaughn Stewart chased their daughter, Deonna Stewart, from the home, the Asbury Park Press reported. NJ.com noted that the former couple shared the three children who were unharmed, but they lived separately.
Despite sharing a last name, the exact status of their relationship has not been detailed.
Several neighbors said they heard repeated gunfire. “There was a break in between, and then we heard one last,” a neighbor who asked not to be identified told NJ.com. “I kind of stared at my ceiling. I didn’t know what to do or say. You wouldn’t really expect it to happen around here.”
Neighbors had nothing but good things to say about the Russells.
James Casella, whose backyard was close to where police found Deonna Stewart’s body, told the Press that one of the bullets went through his bedroom wall. In fact, it wedged into a stud right behind the bed where his wife was still lying down.
Police arrived shortly thereafter and asked Casella, his wife, and their three children to evacuate their home, he said.
“It was heartbreaking and shocking for us,” Casella shared. “The hardest thing for me was telling my kids.”
He told both the Press and NJ.com that he and his family had maintained a close relationship with the Russells. The couple, who moved from Jamaica to New Jersey about 10 years ago, worked in the medical field. Casella even offered to take in Stewart’s children because of the two families’ close relationship.
“They called me once every couple of weeks just to check in on us,” he told NJ.com. “My kids look out the back window just to see if they’re out there, just to say ‘hi’ to them. It really hit us hard. They were truly great, great people.”
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
