Prosecutors: Seaside Heights Man Murdered Woman in Motel Room, Then OD’d Before Arrest

Gerardo Ruiz (Photo: OCPO)

Prosecutors in Ocean County have charged a Seaside Heights man with murdering a woman in his motel room, then overdosing on drugs before being arrested and charged.

Gerardo Ruiz, 50, of Seaside Heights, was charged in the May 1 murder of Alecia Perreault, age 29, also of Seaside Heights, which occurred in the morning.

According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, Seaside Heights police, at about 7:30 a.m., received a telephone call from an individual claiming to have knowledge that Ruiz killed a female at the Offshore Motel in Seaside Heights. The caller further advised that Ruiz was staying at the Surfside Motel in Seaside Heights.

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Officers ultimately went to a room at the Offshore Motel, where they located the body of Perreault with apparent wounds to her neck; she was pronounced deceased at the scene. Officers subsequently went to Ruiz’s room at the Surfside Motel, and discovered that he had experienced an apparent drug overdose, the statement said. Ruiz is currently in the protective custody of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office at a medical facility.  He is currently listed in serious but stable condition.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and Seaside Heights Police Department Detective Bureau determined that Ruiz is the individual responsible for Perreault’s death, according to the statement.

“The Ocean County Medical Examiner has preliminarily determined this to be a homicide but the cause and manner are currently pending further testing,” Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.