HOWELL — An uncle and his nephew have admitted to killing a man with a machete and leaving the victim's body in the street.

Omar Rivera-Rojas, 32, also known as Juan Carlos Rivera Rojas, and Alberto Rojas-Hernandez, 20, both of Lakewood, on Friday pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter charges for the slaying in Howell nearly three years ago.

Domingo Merino-Rafael, 33, also of Lakewood, was found face down on Hurley Pond Road east of Route 547 early on the morning of Oct. 18, 2019. He was "obviously deceased," prosecutors said in a statement.

While investigators at first treated his death as a hit-and-run, it quickly became clear that he had been attacked. Merino-Rafael's cause of death was "multiple chop wounds to the head," according to prosecutors.

Get our free mobile app

Investigators found that the three men had traveled together to Middlesex County the night of Oct. 17. They were on their way back to Lakewood when an argument broke out that escalated to the killing.

Both the uncle and nephew admitted to using the machete to strike Merino-Rafael in the back of his head, according to prosecutors.

A sentencing hearing for the two men is currently scheduled for Mar. 3, 2023. Prosecutors say they will recommend 22 years in state prison for Rivera-Rojas and 20 years in prison for Rojas-Hernandez, with both being subject to the No Early Release Act which will require them to serve 85 percent of their sentences before being eligible for parole.

LOOK: What are the odds that these 50 totally random events will happen to you?

Stacker took the guesswork out of 50 random events to determine just how likely they are to actually happen. They sourced their information from government statistics, scientific articles, and other primary documents. Keep reading to find out why expectant parents shouldn't count on due dates -- and why you should be more worried about dying on your birthday than living to 100 years old.

Here's where NJ legal weed is sold

The number of recreational cannabis dispensaries continues to grow, with close to two dozen state approvals given since the first adult recreational sales in the state back in April. Here is where the open sites are located.

More From WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM