Second Arrest Made in January Double Fatal Shooting in Burlington County

Authorities say a second person has now been arrested in connection to two people being fatally shot at a party in Burlington County earlier this year.

34-year-old David Armstrong of Willingboro turned himself in at the Willingboro Police Department Tuesday morning. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Armstrong is currently being held in the Burlington County Jail pending a detention hearing.

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His co-defendant, 27-year-old Ronny Paden of Delran, was arrested on May 7th and faces similar charges.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina says the scene unfolded in the early morning hours of January 24th when police were called to a home on the 200 block of Dogwood Road in Edgewater Park. There, cops discovered the bodies of 29-year-old James Gist III of Westampton and 29-year-old Marcus Thompson of Willingboro. Gist was shot while inside the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle while Thompson was shot inside of the home. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. No other people at the house, who were there attending a party, were hit by gunfire. The investigation revealed that neither victim was the intended target.

Numerous law enforcement agencies have been working on this case, says Coffina, including his office; the Edgewater Park Township, Delran Township, and Willingboro Township Police Departments; and the New Jersey State Police.