A Newark NJ man recently pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter charges for the brutal strangling death of a homeless woman.
According to Essex County prosecutors, the 46-year-old suspect killed the 58-year-old victim in 2012 while the two of them were living on the streets.
At the time of the fatal incident, both the suspect and the victim were homeless. Investigators determined that the suspect and the victim knew each other.
The victim’s body was found by Newark New Jersey police during a search of the Passaic River. The exact spot where the body was found is near the 900 block of Route 21.
An autopsy was performed and indicated that strangulation was the main cause of the victim’s death. However, medical examiners also said that the victim’s injuries included stab wounds and blunt force trauma to her head.
The suspect was identified as the prime suspect and arrested not long after police discovered the victim’s body in the river.
The suspect may have been subject to murder charges for the killing. Instead, the suspect avoided a trial for more serious homicide charges by pleading guilty to an aggravated manslaughter charge in the case.
The terms of the plea deal call for Bergen County prosecutors to recommend that the suspect serve a sentence of 25 years in NJ State Prison. Additionally, the plea deal would require the suspect to serve at least 21 years in prison before he becomes eligible for release on parole.
The suspect will have to appear in Essex County Superior Court in Newark NJ for a sentencing hearing in August. Although the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office plans to recommend a 25-year sentence, the superior court judge will have discretion to impose a different sentence.
For additional information about this case, read NJ.com article entitled “N.J. Man Pleads Guilty in Killing of Woman Found in Passaic River.”
