A 55-year-old New Jersey man charged with killing another father following a dispute involving their teenage kids has been ordered held in jail.
Judge Joseph Chiarello noted Eric D. Hannah’s previous weapons and drug charges in ruling that the Vineland man should remain in custody pending trial.
Hannah and his 17-year-old son are accused of killing Louis “Gus” Serbeck on April 20 at Hannah’s home on Leamings Mill Road.
The confrontation occurred a day after the 17-year-old son assaulted Serbeck’s daughter, authorities said.
When Serbeck and his daughter showed up at Hannah’s house, he got into a fight with Hannah’s son, authorities said.
The teen struck Serbeck in the head several times with a metal baseball bat, and Hannah struck Serbeck in the back of the head with a metal flashlight, prosecutors said.
The teen also struck Serbeck’s daughter in the head during the fight, authorities said.
Serbeck’s daughter recorded video of a portion of the attack but the video doesn’t show Hannah striking Serbeck, the judge said during a detention hearing.
Assistant Prosecutor Cathryn Wilson said the mark on Serbeck’s forehead matched the imprint on the flashlight.
The prosecution also noted that Hannah’s son attacked Serbeck upon his arrival at the house.
Eric Hannah was in the house when his son began fighting with Serbeck, his attorney Bill Popjoy said. Hannah attempted to defuse the altercation, according to Popjoy.
“My client came upon this unfortunate incident at the end,” Popjoy said. “He took the hammer and flashlight away from trouble and placed in on his car.”
Hannah is the sole caregiver for his 87-year-old father, who has dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the attorney said in arguing for his client to be released.
Hannah is scheduled for a pre-indictment conference on June 12.
He also has a post-indictment hearing Friday morning on narcotics charges from last year, and the status of his son’s case is unclear.
Hannah missed several check-ins with authorities in 2020 and 2022, Wilson said while arguing for detention. He also has previous charges for theft and criminal mischief, Wilson said.
Serbeck is survived by his two daughters, two grandsons, two brothers and many other relatives, according to an online obituary.