A 55-year-old Livingston man has been indicted by a Morris County grand jury on a charge of attempted murder.
On February 1, Donald Ebert agreed to drive his former longtime girlfriend to work. During the ride, the two (2) had a verbal altercation, after which the woman attempted to leave the vehicle. According to the Morris County assistant prosecutor, Mr. Ebert then struck the woman on her head with a pistol.
The woman was bleeding from the back of her head, prompting Mr. Ebert to drop her off for treatment at the Morristown Medical Center.
Although two (2) shots were fired inside the car during the incident, the indictment against Mr. Ebert does not accuse him of firing shots in the victim’s direction.
After the incident was reported, a manhunt began. According to a Livingston police officer, an armed Mr. Ebert barricaded himself inside his home before agreeing to surrender.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Mr. Ebert was also indicted on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and weapons possession.
If convicted of attempted murder, Mr. Ebert may face as many as 20 years in New Jersey State Prison. And because the No Early Release Act (NERA) applies to attempted murder convictions, Mr. Ebert could be required to serve a minimum of 85 percent of his sentence before gaining parole eligibility.
For more information on this case, see the NorthJersey.com article entitled “Man Indicted for Attempted Murder After Allegedly Hitting Ex-Girlfriend with Gun.”
