A father was beaten to death with a baseball bat and a flashlight while attempting to protect his daughter, according to prosecutors.
Worse, the father was allegedly killed by his long-time friend, who admitted to beating him but denied murdering him.
Louis “Gus” Serbeck, a 54-year-old father of two, died on his way to the hospital on Easter Sunday.
He was known for his “unwavering love and protection for family and friends,” according to his obituary.
“He would do anything for anyone,” his brother Christopher Serbeck told ABC.
“He would take the shirt off his back and hand it to you just because you needed it. You call him, and he’ll be there.”
However, the Serbeck family is still grieving the death of their loved one, who was fatally injured in a fight with a 17-year-old boy and his 55-year-old father, Eric Hannah, according to prosecutors.
Serbeck’s daughter, Brooke, 19, told her father she had two black eyes after spending the night at the Hannahs’ home.
Serbeck went to Hannah’s home in Millville, New Jersey, on April 30 to confront him and the 17-year-old boy known in court papers as JH.
Hannah and Serbeck were friends since high school, according to the Post.
However, the conversation at the Hannahs’ house quickly escalated into a brawl, with Serbeck clashing with Hannah and his teen son.
JH allegedly hit Serbeck in the head several times with a metal baseball bat before his father struck him in the back of the head with a metal flashlight.
Brooke was hit in the head during the fight but was able to get her father away from his alleged attackers.
What happened to Louis ‘Gus’ Serbeck?
Louis “Gus” Serbeck, 54, died on Easter Sunday after a fight with a long-time friend and a 17-year-old boy, according to prosecutors.
Serbeck went to Eric Hannah’s, 55, home with his daughter to confront him about his teenage son, JH, as referred to in court documents.
Prosecutors claim JH assaulted Serbeck’s daughter the day before at the Hannah family’s home in Millville, New Jersey.
JH confronted Serbeck at the front door on April 20 and began to fight.
JH allegedly hit Serbeck in the head several times with a metal baseball bat, and his father, who joined the fight, struck Serbeck in the back of the head with a metal flashlight, according to court documents.
Serbeck staggered back to his truck and collapsed from the fight. He died while being flown to a hospital.
He staggered back to his truck, out of breath, and then collapsed.
He was taken to one hospital before being transferred by helicopter to another. The Daily News reported that he died en route.
“He laid down his life to do what he does best, to protect his family; to protect his baby girl,” Serbeck’s obituary stated.
Hannah and his teen son were charged with homicide and weapons offenses in relation to Serbeck’s death.
JH was also charged with aggravated assault against Serbeck’s daughter.
The US Sun reached out to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and the Vineland Police Department for comment.
DIFFERING ACCOUNTS
Despite the arrests in the case, the Hannah family provided a different account of events.
They told the Post. Brooke’s injuries occurred during a drunken brawl with JH’s 14-year-old sister on April 19.
The teen girl claimed Brooke, who the Hannah family claims was intoxicated, was hanging out with friends at their house when the family attempted to kick her out around 3 a.m.
But, according to the teen sister, Brooke began shoving people and pulling their hair.
“So I punched her in the face,” she admitted.
The teenage girl continued: “I honestly wouldn’t have punched her if she didn’t grab my hair, but she grabbed my hair, so I punched her.”
According to the Hannah family, JH was defending himself when Serbeck arrived at the house the next day, and they believe Serbeck threw the first punch.
The Hannah family insisted that JH and Serbeck swung at each other with a bat and a pipe, respectively.
Brooke, according to her teenage sister, also fought by pulling her hair.
She denied that Serbeck was hit in the head with a bat or flashlight, saying that when he collapsed, everyone assumed he was having a heart attack.
“It makes me feel almost sick,” the teen said.
“It just feels unreal because I was there, and I just think that it’s horrible that one person can lie about something and now this whole story is out there, just because one person said something.”
BROTHER SPEAKS OUT
Serbeck’s younger brother, Christopher, can’t make sense of what happened between Serbeck and Hannah.
“To have someone you’ve known your whole life kill you, it just don’t add up,” he told the Post.
Christopher claimed it was the Hannah family who started the fight but he found the entire brawl odd.
“I’ve seen [my brother] fight five guys at the same time and never have a problem,” he said.
“There’s something that wasn’t right about that day.”
Serbeck leaves behind two children and two grandchildren.
Prosecutor statement on Serbeck’s death
The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office released the following statement.
“On April 21, 2025, criminal complaints were authorized charging Eric D. Hannah, age 55, and juvenile, JH, age 17, both of Leamings Mill Rd. in Millville, with homicide and weapons offenses in connection with the death of Louis “Gus” Serbeck. JH was charged separately with Aggravated Assault on the decedent’s daughter.
JH assaulted Serbeck’s daughter on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at the Leamings Mill residence. Serbeck and his daughter visited Eric Hannah’s home in Leamings Mill on Sunday, April 20, 2025, to discuss the April 19th incident.
JH and Serbeck met at the front door and eventually got into a physical altercation. While JH sustained facial injuries, he is accused of repeatedly striking Serbeck in the head with a metal baseball bat.
It is also claimed that Eric, who was present and joined the fight, hit Serbeck in the back of the head with a metal flashlight. Serbeck’s daughter was also hit in the head by J.H. during the fight.
The Vineland Police Department and EMS later arrived on the scene. Serbeck was transported to Vineland Inspira for flight to Cooper, but died en route.
Eric D. Hannah is detained in Cumberland County Jail pending a detention hearing on Friday, April 25, 2025. JH is also detained at a juvenile facility.”
