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‘He went into a mode of rage.’ Man accused of killing acquaintance while helping him move

Samuel Coggins, 30, has been charged with the beating death of 50-year-old Augustine Garcia.

News 12 Staff

Jul 16, 2022, 2:14 AM

Updated 879 days ago

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A Flemington man is accused of murdering an acquaintance while helping him move.
Samuel Coggins, 30, has been charged with the beating death of 50-year-old Augustine Garcia.
Authorities say the crime happened around 3 p.m. Thursday outside a home on North 14th Avenue in Manville. A witness tells News 12 New Jersey that Coggins allegedly had a sudden outburst of rage.
“He went into a mode of rage for no reason,” says Sue Stranzenbach.
Stranzenbach is Garcia's longtime roommate. The two have been friends for 15 years. They were moving out but needed help, so she asked Coggins. But while they were all taking a break, she says Coggins snapped.
“I hear a bash on the mirror of the car, and I see Sam jumping up and down like a pogo stick next to my passenger door,” Stranzenbach says. “I climbed out of the car, and Augustine was on the ground pummeled.”
Garcia was from Honduras. He was a day laborer who worked out of Flemington. Stranzenbach says that for two prior days, Coggins and Garcia got along while working together.
"There was no verbal confrontation, they weren't fighting all day. They were friendly. There was no fight between them. Just all of a sudden,” Stranzenbach says.
Stranzenbach says she is working on funeral arrangements and would like to have Garcia’s remains sent home to Honduras where his family lives.