Two men accused of killing an Egg Harbor Township man inside a home were ordered held in jail Thursday.
Leonard Ludwigsen Jr. and Neco Pitts allegedly were part of a conspiracy to rob the home in the 100 block of Vermont Avenue on Jan. 2.
But things went bad when the two masked men began shooting, killing 24-year-old Arturo "Arty" Barrera III.
"This crime appears to be a drug deal gone bad or a violent episode fueled by the circumstances of guns and drugs," Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury before ordering both men held during separate detention hearings.
Both men are apparently suspects in several armed robberies, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy told the judge.
Ludwigsen, 26, of Egg Harbor Township, has admitted to driving Pitts to the home and that the occupants of the vehicle talked about robbing the victims, according to the affidavit.
He did not admit to the shooting, his defense attorney said.
Pitts, 28, "has been recorded stating he participates in a number of armed robberies and is a suspect in a number of armed robberies," Levy told the judge.
He also has allegedly claimed to be an active member of the Latin Kings.
Pitts was already on the highest level of pretrial monitoring in an unspecified case out of Monmouth County, where he is currently housed.
Ludwigsen is in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
