Two Pleasantville brothers have admitted to beating a teen outside a Delilah Road strip club last January.
Irving Mayren-Guzman, 19, was drunk Jan. 23, 2022, when he was escorted out of Centerfolds Cabaret, which has since been shuttered due to violations that include serving underage customers.
Security video showed brothers Garnell and John Hands, along with Jamaul Timberlake punching the teen who later gets up and runs away. A search led to the discovery of his body in the marsh Jan. 25.
The three men were charged with the assault, but the death was ruled accidental.
Garnell Hands, now 30, faces a five-year sentence under the plea agreement. His 25-year-old brother, John, faces four years. There is no minimum time.
The judge granted a motion to release John Hands pending sentencing, but that will be held for the state to appeal. They have five days.
Garnell Hands apparently got into an argument with Mayren-Guzman, and is shown on surveillance footage throwing the first punch, with a closed-fist strike to the face.
John Hands admitted to punching him three times in the head. Timberlake also admitted to punching him.
Timberlake, 31, of Atlantic City, pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault Jan. 4.
The agreement carries a four-year sentence that was contingent on the Hands brothers also pleading.
John Hands is known as a "gentle giant" by his family and friends, attorney Matthew Portella told the judge, saying that what happened that night was not in character.
""Unfortunately, the defendant followed his brother's actions that night," Judge Nancy Ridgway said.
She also noted that Hands was the only one of the three defendants she seriously considered releasing before sentencing.
Ridgway did grant the defense's request. But the prosecutor in the case asked that the release be postponed until the state can appeal, which she said should take five days.
The judge agreed.
The victim's family spoke out about the plea deal two days after Timberlake pleaded, claiming they were not consulted.
The case has been a polarizing one, with Mayren-Guzman's supporters wanting the men charged in his killing, and those who support the defendants alleging the charges are too harsh for what they see as a simple assault case.
Portella said it has been difficult for Hands' loved ones, who have been stressed by the case.
Mayren-Guzman's supporters protested outside the courthouse, as they have for each court appearance.
His family has filed a lawsuit claiming the club was "complicit" in the teen's death.
The three men are scheduled to be sentenced March 3.
