A New Jersey state appeals court recently upheld the conviction of a man who killed his girlfriend and her parents in Irvington NJ in 2008.
The 29-year-old defendant fatally stabbed the victims inside their Irvington home. According to officers who found the bodies, the victims had been stabbed several times with different knives. Some of the knives were left in the victims’ bodies.
The defendant reportedly had a history of domestic violence against his girlfriend. According to prosecutors, she had obtained a Final Restraining Order (FRO) prior to the murders.
After committing the murders, the suspect changed into clean clothes and went to his uncle’s house. Once he was at his uncle’s residence, the defendant’s sister convinced him to turn himself in.
The defendant eventually went to a Newark NJ police station and issued a statement to police. The defendant reportedly waived his Miranda rights prior to giving the statement to police. He reportedly told officers that he got a knife from the kitchen and then stabbed his girlfriend in her bedroom. When his girlfriend’s parents tried to stop him, he fatally stabbed them.
The defendant ultimately pleaded guilty to murder and weapons offenses. He was sentenced to 37 years in New Jersey State Prison.
The defendant first sought post-conviction relief in 2013, but appellate judges rejected the defendant’s petition. The defendant then appealed the conviction on the basis of ineffective counsel.
The state appeals court highlighted the defendant’s actions immediately after the murders when rejecting the defendant’s appeal. The defendant had argued that he received ineffective legal assistance during the trial because his attorney did not attempt to suppress his statement to police. However, the appeals court said that the defendant’s actions clearly “demonstrated that he was capable of acting knowingly and voluntarily.”
The appeals court’s rejection of the defendant’s appeal means that he will not be eligible for release on parole until 2039.
For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article entitled “N.J. Man Loses Appeal in Fatal Stabbing of Girlfriend, Her Parents in Irvington Home.”