A shocking crime that began with a routine door-to-door sales visit has ended in a guilty verdict. Michael Tsamas, 35, of Laurence Harbor, was convicted on Wednesday of Aggravated Manslaughter for the brutal killing of Joseph Delgardio, 44, following a tense two-week jury trial before Judge Guy P. Ryan in Ocean County Superior Court.
The jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that Tsamas had recklessly caused Delgardio’s death in a violent street confrontation on May 26, 2022, showing extreme indifference to human life. Tsamas was also convicted of multiple weapons offenses, including Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and two counts of Possession of a Prohibited Weapon.
Tsamas faces up to 30 years in state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act—ensuring that if he serves time, it will be without the possibility of parole for at least 85% of his sentence.
What began as an ordinary sales pitch took a deadly turn on the evening of May 26, 2022. At approximately 6:15 p.m., a frantic 911 call summoned Jackson Township Police to the intersection of West Veterans Highway and Conor Road, where they found Delgardio lying in the roadway, drenched in blood, with a severe wound to his neck.
Fire Department personnel were already administering CPR when officers arrived. Despite their desperate attempts, Delgardio was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Jackson Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit swiftly pieced together what had happened.
Tsamas had been working for a company contracted by Verizon, going door-to-door to solicit customers. When he knocked on Delgardio’s door, the homeowner declined his services, sending him on his way.
But moments later, Delgardio approached Tsamas in the street. Words were exchanged, tensions flared, and the confrontation escalated into a physical altercation. Then, in a single, lethal motion, Tsamas pulled a dagger from his pocket and drove it into Delgardio’s neck, severing his life in an instant.
Tsamas was taken into custody without resistance at the scene and transported to the Ocean County Jail. But despite the violent nature of the crime, he was later released under New Jersey’s Bail Reform laws.
Now, with a guilty verdict handed down, Tsamas awaits sentencing, where he faces decades behind bars for his deadly actions.