Alton Dean Kenney, former First Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor, passed away at home Aug. 18, 2024. Born in 1948 in Jersey City, he ultimately settled at the Jersey Shore and became an avid sailor. He was a loving father and dedicated brother, uncle, colleague and friend.
Mr. Kenney earned his Bachelor of Arts from Wilkes University in 1971. No stranger to success, he was part of the five-season run during which the Colonels won 32 consecutive football games. He was named a Division III All-American athlete. He completed his Juris Doctor at Seton Hall University in 1975 and was admitted to practice law that same year.
He began a career with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office that lasted for 30 years and included service under prosecutor and later Superior Court Judge James M. Coleman, prosecutor and later Superior Court Judge Alexander D. Lehrer, and prosecutor John Kaye. He was admitted to practice law before the United States District Court, the Circuit Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Kenney’s career as a prosecutor was legendary. Known for his larger-than-life presence in the courtroom, he served as lead trial and appellate counsel in many highly publicized criminal cases. He obtained convictions in two notable serial killer cases, “Thrill Killer” Richard Biegenwald and Richard Zarinsky, whose murder conviction was the first of its kind in New Jersey where the victim’s body was never found. After the reestablishment of the death penalty in the State of New Jersey in 1983, Mr. Kenney tried the first case under the new statute. Five years later, he was one of very few prosecutors in the state to successfully try a death penalty case and have the verdict upheld by the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Mr. Kenney had a superior knowledge of the law and he loved to teach. He was a mentor to many and was regarded as one of the finest trial prosecutors in the state. He served as an instructor at Monmouth University. He lectured for the Division of Criminal Justice of the Office of the Attorney General and for the NJ State and Monmouth County Police Academies. He was sought after to speak at the NJ Institute of Continuing Legal Education, The NJ Prosecutors’ Association, and the National District Attorneys’ Association.
Mr. Kenney was a loyal and active member of the Monmouth Bar Association. He served as Chair of the Criminal Practice Committee for many years. His sharp and witty sense of humor was on display yearly as a member and writer for the Monmouth Entertainment Committee. He was a favorite amongst those he mentored. He was known as “The Bear” while serving as first assistant prosecutor, not simply because of the life-sized, stuffed black bear that stood in his office wearing a police hat, but because he was known more for his bark than his bite. Underneath his gruff exterior was a heart of gold, although he rarely wished to display it. Former Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor and Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci Jr. has said of Al: “He was the best criminal trial attorney I have ever seen. He appeared to have a photographic mind and his knowledge and grasp of the law was unmatched. I learned much from him and am proud to have called him my friend.”
Upon retiring from the Prosecutor’s Office, Mr. Kenney joined the law firm of Lomurro, Davison, Eastman and Munoz in Freehold where he continued to practice criminal, municipal and domestic violence law. He then joined the criminal defense team of Starkey, Kelly, Kenneally, Cunningham, and Turnbach in Brick. At the time of his death, he was in private practice in Toms River.
Mr. Kenney is survived by his loving children, Danika Kenney and Christian Pritzlaff; sisters Judith Swartzel (Robert) and Jean Dellamarggio; brother Edward Kenney (Shirley); nieces Lisa, Laura and Nicole and nephews Christopher, Collin and Alton; and a number of grand-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister Karen Keen (Bill).
Visitation was held Aug. 27 at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Aug. 28 at St. James Church, Red Bank. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to 180 Turning Lives Around, a nonprofit organization that helps survivors and families affected by domestic violence.
The article originally appeared in the August 29 – September 4, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
