Ricardo A. Ferrera was arrested hours after Christina Cruz was fatally shot at a Franklin Township home, authorities said.
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A man charged with murdering his girlfriend in Gloucester County was on parole after a previous criminal case involving gun violence when authorities say he fatally shot her early Monday.
Ricardo A. Ferrera, 32, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Christina Cruz, 30. He also faces weapons charges, including an allegation that he possessed a firearm despite a prior conviction that prohibited him from having one. Police had searched for Ferrera for several hours after the shooting before announcing that he was in custody.
Authorities said Franklin Township police responded at about 12:36 a.m. to a home on Porchtown Road. Cruz was found in the living room after witnesses reported hearing an argument and gunfire. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators allege Ferrera drove away from the home before officers arrived.
One witness told police that Ferrera and Cruz had argued roughly two hours before the shooting. The witness was upstairs with three children when gunfire was heard and later found Cruz downstairs, authorities said. Another person in a first-floor bedroom reported hearing arguing followed by two gunshots and a thud.
Ferrera’s criminal history is relevant to one of the weapons charges filed after Cruz’s death. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that court records show Ferrera previously had been convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office did not publicly detail his earlier case in its initial announcement about Monday’s shooting.
6abc reported that police confirmed Ferrera had recently served prison time in connection with an earlier shooting in Atlantic City that injured two men and that he was on parole at the time of the Franklin Township killing. New Jersey 101.5, citing state records, reported that Ferrera had been released from state prison Sept. 30.
Those earlier cases do not establish guilt in the new prosecution. Prosecutors must prove the charges stemming from Cruz’s death independently, and Ferrera is presumed innocent unless convicted. Authorities have not publicly said what sparked the argument at the Porchtown Road home or identified a motive for the shooting.
Police initially warned that Ferrera should be considered armed and dangerous as officers searched for him. Authorities said he was known to frequent Millville, Vineland and Atlantic City. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office announced later Monday that he had been captured, but officials did not immediately release detailed circumstances surrounding the arrest.
Ferrera faces first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and a charge related to possessing a firearm despite a disqualifying conviction. He was expected to be held in the Salem County Jail as the case proceeds. The investigation remains active, and authorities have not announced a motive.
Author note: Last updated November 3, 2026.