Prosecutors have announced they will retry a Gloucester County man convicted of beating his parents to death eight years ago, following an appellate court ruling this week tossing out that conviction.
A judge sentenced Ryan E. Coles, 36, to 80 years in prison in 2022 for the 2016 killings of Edward M. Coles Jr., 58, and Rosemarie Coles, 55, in their West Deptford home.
Coles claimed insanity, but the judge handling his bench trial rejected that defense, finding the defendant was aware of his actions when he pummeled his parents and then covered their bodies with laundry.
An appellate court ruling issued Monday found that the decision by a different judge to grant Coles a bench trial, in which the judge acts as jury, was faulty.
The judge, who was not named in the ruling, did not have attorneys write motions for a bench trial, but granted the bid after only an oral motion in court, the appellate court found.
Granting a bench trial requires judges to make a decision based on law and fact, and follow four guidelines to determine if a defendant “voluntarily, knowingly, and competently” is waiving the right to a jury trial, the ruling stated.
The judge satisfied only one of the requirements, it said.
“That failure is particularly egregious here because defendant’s motion sought a waiver of his right to a jury trial in a case in which he was charged with two first-degree murders, and the gravity of those offenses therefore ‘tilted’ in favor of denying defendant’s motion, but that was not considered by the court,” the appeals judges wrote.
The appellate panel reversed the conviction and sent the case back for a new trial.
“Our intent will be to retry the case,” Tom Gilbert, with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, said Friday morning.
Coles’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Since the conviction was dismissed, Coles has been moved from state prison back to county jail while he awaits the next steps in the case.
He is scheduled to return to court June 3 for a status conference on his charges.
Coles lived with his parents and told investigators the killings followed disputes over household chores. He claimed his parents attacked him and that he was trying to defend himself, but evidence showed Coles suffered no serious injuries, prosecutors said during the trial.
The defendant’s grandfather, after not being able to contact his son, came to the house the following morning, where his grandson directed him to the bodies in the foyer, officials said.
The bloody crime scene included handprints around the front door knob, according to prosecutors. Coles told investigators he locked the door to prevent his parents from leaving because he feared he would get in trouble.
Speaking at his sentencing in 2022, Rosemarie Coles’ sister, Adrienne Porter, recalled her sister as a generous, forgiving person and her brother-in-law as a man of faith with a strong character and incredible work ethic.
Porter spoke of the heartache and grief the family had endured since the killings, and recalled how they could not have a viewing for the couple because of the injuries they suffered.
“They could not put Rose’s face back together,” Porter said. “God only knows what she endured.”
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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
