NJ-2023-11-23

What the Record Shows

For years, Eugene and Cheryl Mulgrew sought help for their son, Michael, who had serious mental-health and substance-use issues. On November 1, 2023, Cheryl contacted Barnegat police and Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services (PESS) to request a psychiatric evaluation. Michael had left the home before responders arrived, but later returned, and Cheryl told police he had calmed down and that she planned to take him for treatment the following morning.

The following morning, November 2, PESS personnel and medical outreach responders returned to the home. They found Eugene and Cheryl fatally stabbed. Michael was subsequently arrested and, in March 2026, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder. He was sentenced in June 2026 to 30 years in prison on each count, with the sentences running concurrently. The family’s civil lawsuit alleges that appropriate emergency psychiatric intervention was not provided despite the family’s efforts to obtain help; those allegations remain disputed and have not been proven in court.

Sources:

Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Nov. 2, 2023: Barnegat Township Man Charged With Two Counts of Murder

Patch, Nov. 17, 2023: Barnegat Parents Sought Help For Son The Day He Killed Them: Cops

Jersey Shore Online, June 2026: Parents Died Trying To Get Him Help, Family Says At Sentencing

News 12 New Jersey, June 5, 2026: Barnegat man sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering parents

Each story is shared to highlight where systems failed to intervene or provide treatment. The intent is accountability and reform, not to portray people with Severe Mental Illness as dangerous or to reinforce stigma.