Joseph Boyd

Joseph E. Boyd, a 48-year-old contractor from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, was a married man with a family. He and his wife, Ann, who had moved to Mount Laurel from Germany in the 1940s, had a son named Marty J. Boyd. Joseph was known in his community and was building a life with his family in the growing suburbs of Southern New Jersey. His life, however, was stolen in a shocking act of violence that stunned the region.

The first day of summer, June 21, 1972, was a bright, sunny Wednesday in Cherry Hill. At approximately 2:30 p.m., Joseph Boyd was inside the Heritage Office Building on Kings Highway North for reasons that remain part of his private story. At that moment, a 33-year-old man named Edwin James Grace entered the two-story colonial-style building and began a terrifying rampage. Armed with two sawed-off .22-caliber rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, Grace was motivated by a grudge against the Key Personnel employment agency, which had an office there and had failed to find him a job.

Over the course of about 12 minutes, Grace moved methodically from office to office, firing between 50 and 70 rounds. Witnesses reported that he specifically targeted men, waving women out of the way as he continued his assault. In the chaos, Joseph Boyd was shot and killed, one of six men who would lose their lives that afternoon. Twelve men in total were shot. When news of the shooting spread, a neighbor recalled Mrs. Boyd telling another neighbor that her husband would be fine and would call soon. Tragically, he never did, and Joseph Boyd's name was the last to be added to the official list of the deceased.

The other men killed were Steven Bernard Robinson, 41, the president of Key Personnel; Robert Bertone, 22; Joseph A. DiPalma, 44; Theodore G. Hall, 38; and Charles R. Merkel, 38. The attack ended when Grace retreated to a basement office and shot himself behind the ear. Police, who had surrounded the building, deployed tear gas before entering and finding the gunman among his victims. Grace was taken into custody but did not exchange any shots with police.

The investigation, led by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, quickly centered on Grace as the sole perpetrator. Investigators found a map in his car with an "X" over Cherry Hill and discovered more ammunition in the motel room where he was staying. Grace was charged with homicide and assault while hospitalized at Cherry Hill Medical Center. He remained partially paralyzed and unable to speak until he died from his self-inflicted wound on July 8, 1972, never providing a direct explanation for his actions.

The mass shooting at the Heritage Office Building was a profound shock to the affluent and rapidly growing community of Cherry Hill, which had been considered a peaceful suburb. The incident was one of the worst mass shootings in New Jersey's history and left an indelible scar on the families of the victims and the community at large. Joseph E. Boyd was laid to rest, leaving behind his wife Ann, who would live for more than three decades after his death, and their son. The case is considered closed, as the perpetrator was identified and died shortly after the attack. There are no outstanding suspects or active investigations.