A man who allegedly murdered his pregnant wife in East Orange, New Jersey lost his bid to withdraw an earlier guilty plea in the case.
The homicide occurred at the suspect’s home in East Orange NJ in December 2013. The 36-year-old suspect is accused of strangling his 26-year-old wife to death. The violent attack was reportedly precipitated by an argument over the victim’s unborn baby, with the victim telling the suspect that the child was not his.
When the victim died, she was nine months pregnant. The unborn child also died as a result of the attack.
According to law enforcement, the suspect later told East Orange NJ investigators that he committed the murder.
In March 2016, the suspect reached a plea deal with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office: he would plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter charges, while Essex County prosecutors would recommend that he receive a sentence of 16 years in NJ State Prison.
However, sometime after reaching the plea deal and formally pleading guilty in Essex County Superior Court, the suspect attempted to withdraw his guilty plea. The suspect claimed that his defense attorney failed to show him important documents before he accepted the plea deal. These materials reportedly included photos of the crime scene, autopsy photos, an autopsy report, and a transcript of the grand jury proceedings.
Now the suspect is set to be formally sentenced after an Essex County Superior Court judge rejected his motion to withdraw the guilty plea.
For further information about this case, access the DailyRecord.com article, “Judge Won’t Let Man Withdraw Plea in Pregnant Wife’s Slaying.”
