A New Jersey State Police sergeant, Ricardo Santos, aged 45, has been accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, 33-year-old veterinarian Lauren Semanchik, along with her new boyfriend, Tyler Webb, who was 29. This incident reportedly stemmed from a pattern of stalking and harassment, according to the police.
Santos waited for Webb to arrive home after Semanchik finished her day at work. He then went on to fatally shoot both of them in their home and subsequently drove approximately 50 miles to Piscataway Park, where he took his own life, as stated by prosecutors.
In an interesting twist, Santos had allegedly been earning around four times more than the average salary for a New Jersey State Trooper, which raises questions about his financial practices.
A discrimination lawsuit from a fellow trooper, Akrauchuk, claimed that Santos had manipulated the department’s overtime regulations to inflate his earnings. The lawsuit outlined that this manipulation involved altering time records in the E-Daily system and suggested that Santos had adjusted his pay to exceed $400,000.
Interestingly, while the lawsuit implies wrongdoing, Santos has not been charged with fraud. After filing her complaint about Santos, Akrauchuk was reportedly removed from her position in the executive protection unit, which was assigned to Governor Phil Murphy.
Santos and Semanchik had ended their relationship last September after dating for around three months. Following their breakup, it was reported that Santos continued to reach out to her. Her mother, Jenny, even attempted to obtain a restraining order, but no such order was granted—details regarding this have not been clarified by the Franklin Township Police.
