Around midnight on July 7, 2013, 16-year-old teenager Brennan Doyle cut through the wire fence of Donna Ongsiako’s house, expecting it to be empty. However, as he entered the garden, she suddenly opened the front door to let her cat in. Scared of getting caught, Brennan forced his way in and stabbed Donna mercilessly before making off with her purse and car. ’48 Hours: A Stabbing in Colts Neck’ chronicles the shocking incident and follows the police investigation that brought the perpetrator to justice.
Who is Brennan Doyle?
A resident of Colts Neck, New Jersey, Brennan was a typical sixteen-year-old who led a quiet life. Although the boy mostly kept to himself, nothing about his behavior appeared out of the ordinary, and people who know him describe him as a typical teen who got into trouble occasionally. That said, readers should note that Brennan had no criminal record before Donna’s stabbing and had never come face to face with the law.
On July 7, 2013, Brennan decided to take his chances and rob Donna’s farmhouse, which sat in the middle of a flower farm. While the mother of one was hosting guests for the July 4th holidays, most people had left by July 7, giving him a false sense of security. On top of it, Brennan even noticed Donna’s daughter, Kiersten, leave for a party in the evening, making him believe the house was empty. However, as soon as Brennan cut into the fence and entered the garden, he came face to face with Donna, who had opened the door to let the cat in.
The homeowner immediately slammed the door in Brennan’s face, but the teenager forced his way inside before attacking her with a knife. He stabbed her multiple times until she collapsed on the floor, unable to fight back. Afterward, Brennan took Donna’s car keys, purse, and a lighter before stabbing the survivor in the chest and quickly escaping. Though she knew there was no way to call for help, she forced herself to climb the stairs to reach her phone and call 911. Donna even detailed the intruder’s description but passed out before first responders arrived.
Luckily, the mother of one was still breathing when the police reached her, and she was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors saved her life. When they began investigating the stabbing, they learned that Brennan was spotted hitchhiking on the highway shortly before attacking Donna. Moreover, a few hours after the stabbing, a Taco Bell employee claimed to have seen the suspect in the drive-through. The employee also insisted that Brennan had a knife in his possession, and he helped authorities create a detailed sketch of the perpetrator.
Although the sketch led authorities to Brennan Doyle, there was no way of linking the teenager to the crime. Still, a thorough search of his house revealed a knife, which matched Donna’s injuries. Shortly after, the victim’s car was located near the Taco Bell outlet, and the restaurant employees found a knife on their roof, which had the survivor’s blood on it. Incidentally, the second knife matched the one recovered from Brennan’s home. Once Donna identified the suspect as her assailant, he was arrested and charged with multiple counts, including attempted murder and carjacking.
Brennan Doyle is Still Behind Bars
When questioned, Brennan claimed he did not mean to attack Donna and insisted that he was under the influence of “magic mushrooms” at the time of the stabbing. Nonetheless, evidence suggested that the teenager was in complete control of his senses, and the prosecution offered him a deal in which he was to plead guilty to attempted murder and carjacking in exchange for the other charges getting dropped. Brennan immediately accepted this deal, and the judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison in 2015. Thus, he remains behind bars at the Garden State Youth Correction Facility in Burlington County, New Jersey, and will be released in 2027.
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