BELVIDERE, N.J. (Warren County) — A 34-year-old Morris County man has been sentenced to 42 years in state prison for a fatal shooting in Independence Township and related charges, authorities said.
Anthony J. Garvin of Netcong Borough was sentenced April 21 in Warren County Superior Court after pleading guilty to charges including first-degree murder, animal cruelty causing death and aggravated assault with a firearm.
Garvin received a 37-year sentence on the murder charge and, under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, must serve 85% of that term before becoming eligible for parole. He was also sentenced to four years for animal cruelty and 12 months for aggravated assault. Those sentences will run concurrently with each other but consecutively to the murder sentence, resulting in a total of 42 years in prison.
As part of the sentence, Garvin is prohibited from having contact with the victim’s immediate family.
Authorities said the charges stem from a June 27, 2024 incident, when police were called around 8:15 a.m. to the 100 block of Alphano Road in Independence Township for a reported gunshot victim.
An investigation by the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office and Independence Township Police Department determined Garvin shot Amanda Pulver once in the right thigh, causing her death. Officials also said Garvin shot a family dog multiple times, and the animal was later euthanized due to its injuries.
Garvin and Pulver were known to each other, authorities said.
He was arrested several hours later in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, by local police.
Authorities credited multiple agencies for their roles in the investigation, including the Independence Township Police Department and the New Jersey State Police Crime Scene Investigation North Unit, along with additional support from local and state law enforcement.
