A Bermudian has been found bound and shot in an execution-style murder in his New Jersey home.

Construction worker Antoine Smith and his Jamaican partner Roxanne Fong Woo, both 30, were tied up with duct tape and slain -- but police are stumped for a motive.

Police discovered Mr. Smith in the living room, while Miss Woo was found in an upstairs bedroom.

The couple, known to neighbours as a friendly, hard-working pair trying to make a better life for themselves, were found dead at just after noon on Monday but no one had seen them since Thursday.

Charlotte Smith, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, said investigators had no suspects or motive for the shooting in East Orange.

The pair were found in their apartment after neighbours noticed a foul smell and called police.

A neighbour said: "They were beautiful people. Although they kept to themselves, they were very friendly.'' The slaying sent shockwaves through the normally peaceful complex.

The pair's seven-year-old daughter, Naja, had been living with Miss Woo's parents in Jamaica since September, when Miss Woo enrolled in a computer trade school, said neighbours.

Miss Woo, who worked at a law firm, was planning to bring her daughter back to America after her graduation from the school next month, neighbours said.

Anthony Burke, a friend of Miss Woo for the past year, said: "She wanted to try and provide a better life for herself and her daughter.

"She was very nice, sweet and down to earth. She had plans, aspirations. Now they've been cut short.'' Mr. Smith, Miss Woo's longtime boyfriend, was often seen playing basketball with neighbourhood kids, giving them his pocket change.

His motorbike, a red GP Z500, and Miss Woo's car, a Toyota Camry, remained in the parking lot adjacent to their two-bedroom apartment.

Neighbours said the pair had never been in trouble since moving into the complex two or three years ago.

Next-door neighbour Abraham Crowdeo last saw Mr. Smith at 2 p.m. Thursday.

By Monday, Mr. Crowdeo and other neighbours knew something was wrong when they smelled the odour coming from the pair's apartment.

They told a complex maintenance worker, who spotted the open door and called police.

The macabre discovery deeply shook residents of the placid, middle-income development with tidy lawns and spotless sidewalks.

Bermudian murdered in New Jersey couple's daughter for three years while Miss Woo worked, said: "The only time someone dies in this complex is of natural causes.

"That's why it's shocking to see something like this happen to such a young mother.'' Apartment block resident Monica Parker said she moved with her son six years ago because it was known as a safe, quiet area.

Ms Parker said she had no fears about letting her son walk alone to the trash or play near their front door alone.

She said: "This has always been a working-class complex where the neighbours look out for one another. Now I'm scared to send my son out by himself.'' Last night, the Bermuda Police Service was unaware of the incident.

With files from Kevin Dilworth and Jeffery Mays of the Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.