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Woman sentenced in Newark for hiring hit man to kill estranged husband in Newark
Jealous wife rams husband's car in Garden City
Wife charged with murder of her husband in Monmouth County
New Brunswick woman charged with boyfriend's murder
Navy corpsman describes life in hell before going into combat
Life with a borderline personality
Woman accused of 'death-by-antifreeze' in Mount Holly
One year after dismembered body was found, wife is charged with killing her husband in New Brunswick
Maple Shade woman indicted for murder of boyfriend
NBA Nets' star Jason Kidd files for divorce in Trenton claiming physical and mental abuse
Wife charged with hitting, killing husband in Winslow Township
Newark corrections officer shoots boyfriend and then kills 4-month-old son and herself
Family that murdered together sentenced together in Asbury Park
July 22, 1988, Newark (UPI) — A woman who hired an undercover FBI agent to kill her estranged husband after what she said were years of beatings was sentenced yesterday to 57 months in prison.
Geraldine Koven, 46, of Wayne, gave a rambling, teary 45-minute plea for mercy before the sentencing on federal charges of using the mail and telephone for illegal purposes.
August 4, 1998, Garden City (States News Service) — A jealous wife is behind bars in Nassau County today after she allegedly rammed her husband's car with a suspected rival inside. The other woman is in critical condition with a broken pelvis. Edith Ponce of Hempstead was driving with her son in Garden City when she saw her husband Alexander driving with another woman. Ponce reportedly followed the pair and smashed her car into theirs. Then her car bounced off and smashed into two more cars. Ponce is being held on a $50,000 bond.
August 17, 1998, Brick (States News Service) — A Monmouth County woman has been charged with killing her husband. Sylvia Flynn was arrested at the police station after reporting that her husband, John, had been shot. Investigators say 59-year-old John Flynn was killed in his home office and shot several times. Flynn is free on $100,000 bail.
September 2, 1998 (States News Service) —A central New Jersey woman, Michelle Tierney, has been charged with killing her live-in boyfriend during a domestic dispute during which Thomas Harsell was stabbed to death.
Neighbors say the couple fought frequently and police were a familiar sight at their home in Colonia.
Bertha: Her sister who married my brother and lives 30 minutes. away
Xeno: Micky's maiden name and her parents; whom she lives with. The parents are ministers in Ohio.
Cindy: My best friend/soul mate
Saturday, July 27, 2002 — About three months into our marriage Micky started mentally, emotionally, and physically abusing me. The mental and emotional abuse continues to this day. I've since found out that she would physically, mentally and emotionally abuse my mother as well, hitting my mother on several occasions with her fists.
Micky also demeans the children on a constant basis. I can hear her abusing my children physically when I call.
While we were married I woke one morning with Micky holding a gun to my head. She put a gun to my chest several times, hiding the trigger lock and telling me to never leave her.
Micky couldn't hold a job and was fired from several jobs, both within the Salvation Army and as a civilian. Bosses have fired her for unknown reasons, as well as for her anger and attitude. That caused a rift in my relationship with her bosses who were my friends.
Micky never allowed me to have any female friends or even mention another woman. That made my life difficult since my occupation is composed primarily of females. Conversely, I recently found out that she had affairs throughout our marriage and the reason she initially left to go back to her parents in April of 2000 was that her boyfriend no longer wanted her. And she took the children to Ohio with her.
I was in a horrible tractor trailer vs. motorcycle accident (I was on the motorcycle) before she left and I now have limited use of my dominant hand and arm. When I woke from the coma, I saw her and reached for her. She coldly pulled away and stormed out of the room. She would tell me that I was worth more to her dead than alive.
About a week after leaving for Ohio she stated that she would return in May for marriage counseling and to try to “make the marriage work.” She returned in May for a week then left abruptly without cause or reason. No counseling occurred. She then asked me to abandon my life in New Jersey; leave my well-paying job, house, immediate family and friends to go with her.
Micky took our only reliable vehicle with her to Ohio. Even if I had wanted to uproot my life to suit her whims, I had no reliable transportation. Micky would only bring the children back to New Jersey for a visit when convenient for her, and when she wanted something from me.
In June 2000 she became intoxicated and smashed my truck window with her fists. She then proceeded to drive around South Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania drunk with Becky in the car. During this incident, she drove to my parents' house and threatened them, which was reported to the police.
She broke into Cindy's house the next day and Cindy's husband found out it was Micky. Micky went through Cindy's belongings and moved a picture of Cindy and myself, along with a postcard I'd sent Cindy. She then tried to call Cindy “just to talk.” Her talking to Cindy was crying how much she loved me but how she would take everything from me if we divorced.
Micky broke into my house twice and stole some of my gold coins and jewelry. She blamed it on a robber, but all my jewelry and hidden coins were picked through, and only the most precious or my favorite were missing. She depleted my children's' college fund for herself. She had three policemen beat me nearly to death and just sat and watched. She then lied to the judge and said that I battered them. She told Becky's daycare to give me trouble when I went to pick up Becky, then corroborated with the daycare to get me a police record.
Every time she returned to our house in New Jersey, she would threaten me, stating “If you divorce me, I'll take everything you have and never let you see the kids again!” And, “If you ever find another woman, I'll kill you!” She would steal my mail and take money from my accounts without telling me. We had separate accounts due to her spending habits.
Yet, in the end, she was the one who filed for divorce.
After 14 years of abuse, false promises of counselling, and months of the Xeno's totally controlling my relationship with my children, I decided to find someone else. I spend lots of time with my best friend, Cindy. Cindy's husband left her and her daughter recently. The Xeno's are infuriated and Micky, Bertha and their parents have been using and abusing my children, tormenting my parents, and harassing Cindy and I.
Micky's mom came down to New Jersey to visit her daughter Bertha in August of 2000. When I asked Micky why her mother did not bring the children and drop them off so I could spend time with them? She said that they had started school. The children stated that they were not in school. I asked Bertha and she became irate and stated, “My mother is not a babysitter!” The Xeno's came again the last week of December 2000. My father asked them why they didn't bring the children and they said “I didn't think it was time yet.”
When I call to speak to my children I am told lies, e.g., “They're out.” Yet I can clearly hear them in the background. Mostly, the excuse is the children are out, and none of the three adults has any idea where they are. When I am permitted to speak to the children, it's about every other week for about 5 minutes. The children are very depressed and coached by one of the adults in the house. One of the “adults” always listens in on the conversation. Once I was able to speak to Becky without anyone around. She told me very disturbing things: “Grandpa says he's always hot around me. Grandma says I'm always in her way. Mommy hurt me and it makes me sad.” Since that conversation, I've not been able to speak to the children without someone on the phone coaching them.
Micky was harassing Cindy and I with ten to fifteen hang up phone calls daily for over a month. Micky's sister, Bertha, goes by my parents' house removing everything she can, claiming it is for Jimmy and Becky, while telling my parents lies about the divorce. Bertha's demeanor is very threatening and demanding. Bertha's children saw me walk into the house and a look of horror crossed their faces and they ran screaming for Bertha. This is my niece and nephew, what are they doing to my children?
Micky will not allow our children to receive any cards, letters or pictures I send them. The money sent to them goes to Micky because she tells the children the other child will steal their money but Mommy will keep it safe. Neither child ever sees the money.
If one of the children “slips” and tells me something they are beaten while I'm still on the phone with them. She never allows the children to call me or email me. She said that Ohio doesn't have Internet access. When I ask to visit, she says no, I need supervised visitation. According to the insurance company, my children haven't been to a doctor in over 2 years. I briefly saw my son at school and he had abrasions and bruises all over his face. They refused me access to my daughter.
Due to concerns for the children's safety and wellbeing I filed a complaint with Ohio Children's Services (PCSA). Children's Services refuses to do anything because they said “It sounds like a custody matter.” I contacted the children's school in Ohio and they refuse to do anything either.
Micky continues to verbally threaten me over the phone and she stole a rifle from my gun collection. I expected her in the area the week we were supposed to close on the sale of our house so I filed a restraining order based on her phone harassment. Bertha perjured herself on the stand, confirming Micky's lies. The judge laughed at me after Micky testified: “How can I hurt him, he's bigger than me.” The closing date then had to be changed because Micky would not respond to the real estate agent.
Micky had an Ohio judge award her alimony and child support along with supervised visitation. The court never notified me of a hearing or a judgment. I found out the Ohio court order after money was removed from my paycheck. Over 65% of my pay goes towards that abusive woman! She rarely spends money on the children. Her wardrobe needs constant replacing and her hair needs professional work weekly. My children are constantly hungry and are living on McDonald's.
Bertha has contacted Cindy, informing her that my brother wants to file a restraining order against me. Cindy said “Well, have his brother call him and tell him himself.” Bertha screamed “No!”
I fear for my brother since Bertha won't allow me to speak to him. Like her sister, Bertha can't hold a job. I pray for my brother and his children. I attempted to see them while my children were there for the 4 th of July, and Bertha refused to grant the police officer or me access to her property. She became extremely irate with the police officer. The Xeno's disappeared after the police officer left. I was going overseas soon after that and was hoping to see my children one last time.
© 2004 Abstracted from story on 1010 WINS
July 12, 2004 — A Burlington County woman accused of killing her brother-in-law with a concoction of pineapple juice, cherries and antifreeze wanted only to incapacitate the retired postal worker and take control of his finances, her lawyer said Monday.
Jonathan Neabor, of Old Bridge, spent the night at his brother's home after drinking the poisoned beverage, and was suffering from nausea and dizziness when taken to the hospital by ambulance the next morning, state police said. He was not married and had no children.
Maryann Neabor, an emergency medical technician, was at Virtua Memorial Hospital as her brother-in-law was being treated.
Medical tests revealed that he had ingested ethylene glycol, the sweet, odorless chemical found in antifreeze.
Maryann Neabor, 53, of Shamong Township, pled not guilty to murder during a court appearance Monday afternoon. She is accused of whipping up the tainted fruit drink in a blender and feeding it to Jonathan Neabor on Wednesday night. He died two days later.
Neabor is accused of killing Jonathan Neabor, 58, so she and her husband, Michael Neabor, could have access to his money to ease their financial troubles but Michael Neabor has not been charged. Defense attorney Mitnick said his client acted alone and without the knowledge of either her husband or their sons, ages 17 and 22.
Maryann Neabor appeared in court Monday shackled at the wrists and ankles. Sullen and tight lipped, she spoke only to answer questions about her rights posed by Superior Court Judge John A. Almeida. The judge said bail would remain at $500,000.
Mitnik said his client has threatened suicide and has a variety of medical problems, including severe depression and diabetes. He said she had not been on her medication for depression for between 28 and 31 days. Judge Almeida granted a request for psychiatric and medical evaluations.
Jonathan Neabor had a postal service pension and a life insurance policy that names his brother as the sole beneficiary, Mitnick said.
He did not specify how much money Michael Neabor stood to gain from his brother's death, but did say that Michael and Maryann Neabor have not recovered financially since being granted bankruptcy protection five years ago.
Maryann Neabor and her husband declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999, two years after a creditor sued her, records indicate. In 2003, the couple took out a $181,000 loan against their home. A foreclosure suit naming them was filed in March.
Maryann taught three adult classes for Lenape Adult & Continuing Education this year, including one on Tuesday, April 20, on keeping homes safe.
“With a little care, we can protect our families from the leading causes of death and injury in the home, like falls, fire and poisoning,” states a Web site description of the class.
© 2005 by Ronald Smothers, The New York Times
June 3, 2005 — A little more than a year ago, three suitcases containing human body parts wrapped in plastic bags were found washed up along the Virginia shores of Chesapeake Bay.
The remains were quickly identified as those of William T. McGuire, a computer programmer from Woodbridge with a wife and two children. But there was little hard evidence pointing to a suspect.
On Thursday, the New Jersey attorney general, Peter C. Harvey, announced that Melanie McGuire, 32, of Brick Township, had been arrested and charged with the murder of her husband, and said that others were believed to have been involved. As part of their continuing investigation, state investigators searched the Barnegat home of her parents shortly after she was arrested.
Ms. McGuire was taken into custody minutes after she dropped her children, ages 3 and 5, at a Metuchen day care center. She did not resist as the state police picked her up en route to her job as a nurse at Reproductive Medical Associates of New Jersey in Morristown.
She was arraigned on Thursday afternoon in State Superior Court on a charge of first-degree murder and ordered held in the maximum $750,000 bond by Judge Deborah J. Venezia. Wearing a black knit top and pink cotton slacks, Ms. McGuire stood alone and pled not guilty.
Her lawyer, Michael Pappa, described her as the mother of a child who has been diagnosed as autistic and said she was therefore unlikely to flee. As he spoke Ms. McGuire stared ahead, her manacled wrists crossed over her chest and her clenched hands nestled between her chest and downcast chin.
Mr. McGuire, 39, a computer specialist at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, disappeared on April 29, 2004. His car was discovered parked at the Flamingo Hotel in Atlantic City on May 8, 2004, around the time his own matching suitcases containing his dismembered body were found in Virginia Beach near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
Investigators believe that Mr. McGuire was killed in his home and that Ms. McGuire and her accomplices drove the car to the hotel parking lot and abandoned it before driving south.
Mr. Harvey said at a news conference in Trenton that Ms. McGuire could not have carried her 200-pound husband alone, nor heaved the suitcases over the bay bridge's railing. He and other investigators also said she was not likely to have had the knowledge or access to the equipment needed for “the very particular method and kind of cuts” made in dismembering Mr. McGuire's body.
In addition, Mr. Harvey said that tests of the bullets found in Mr. McGuire's head and chest linked them to the kind of .38-caliber revolver and bullets that Ms. McGuire, using her own name but a false address, bought at a Pennsylvania gun shop three days before her husband disappeared.
Mr. Harvey also said investigators had linked a chip of nail polish found on tape binding the plastic garbage bags in which the body parts had been placed to the type Ms. McGuire used. He said they had also determined, from testing and manufacturer's data, that the garbage bags, with their distinctive serrated separations, were part of the same lot as garbage bags in which Ms. McGuire had placed some of Mr. McGuire's clothing and belongings before giving them to a friend.
“Our evidence makes it pretty clear that the bags from Virginia and the bags she put his personal effects in were part of the same lot and sold at the same time,” he said, adding that his office was still considering whether to seek the death penalty or a sentence of 30 years to life in prison if the case goes to trial and ends in a guilty verdict.
Without going into details of possible motives in the case, Mr. Harvey said that statements by Ms. McGuire that her husband had struck her in an argument just before leaving their apartment on April 29, 2004, and that he gambled extensively, proved to be misleading.
“There is nothing in our investigation that suggests that he met his death in Atlantic City,” where his abandoned car was found, Mr. Harvey said. “And no evidence that a battered wife situation, gambling or nefarious characters in Atlantic City were involved.”
Superintendent Joseph R. Fuentes of the state police, however, did hint at a motive in calling the case “a very strange tale of lies, deceit and infidelity.”
Mr. McGuire's sister, Nancy Taylor, took the news of the arrest of Ms. McGuire with both anger and a sense of satisfaction that suspicions shared by her and other family members were now shared by the police.
“To me this mirrors the Scott Peterson case,” she said, referring to the case of the California man who was convicted in the death of his pregnant wife. “She has had no remorse since Day 1. Her statement to me was that he had slapped her and as a result she was done with him.”
She said her main concern now was for the two children, who, she fears, may have witnessed or heard something. She said she was incredulous that Ms. McGuire's lawyer had referred to one of the children as autistic.
“There has never been any hint until now of problems like this with the kids, and I talked to her eight months ago and her son wasn't autistic then,” she said. “What has she done to those children? They need to be taken away from her by child welfare officials and I just hope that whatever she has done to them is reversible.”
A jury convicted the formerly well-respected fertility clinic nurse April 2, 2007, of the 2004 murder of her husband.
In addition to charges of first-degree murder and desecrating human remains, the panel found Melanie McGuire, 34, guilty of perjury for lying to a family court judge about her husband's whereabouts after he disappeared. They also convicted her of unlawful possession of a weapon.
McGuire was acquitted, however, of four charges related to anonymous letters mailed to authorities in an alleged attempt to throw suspicion onto others.
Her bond was immediately revoked after the verdict.
The verdict came after more than 13 hours of deliberation by the nine-woman, three-man panel. The jurors had listened to 76 witnesses and reviewed over 1,200 exhibits during the course of the seven-week trial.
On July 21, 2007, a New Jersey judge rejected claims of innocence and sentenced Melanie McGuire to life in prison for the murder of her husband.
“The depravity of this murder simply shocks the conscience of this court,” Middlesex Superior Court Judge Frederick De Vesa said as he gave Melanie McGuire the maximum penalty. “One who callously destroys a family to accomplish her own selfish ends must face the most severe consequences that the law can provide.”
December 20, 2006 — A Maple Shade woman was indicted yesterday for murder in the shooting death of a man in his Cinnaminson home in October.
Susan Dow, 46, of Richards Avenue is charged with murder and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes in the October 27 th shooting death of William Seidle, 48, inside his home on Zeisner Street in the East Riverton section of Cinnaminson, said Jack Smith, spokesman for the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutors said a family member found Seidle's body after going to the house when Seidle failed to report to his job at a forklift company. An autopsy determined Seidle died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Ms. Dow was identified as a suspect and charged as a result of a month long investigation that involved extensive interviews with the victim's family and friends, an analysis of phone records, and ballistic examinations conducted by the New Jersey State Police and other information developed by detectives.
Prosecutors have declined to comment about a possible motive for the murder, but did say Dow and Seidle had a past relationship.
They said they believe Susan Dow left the state shortly after the murder. She was arrested November 25 in Florida but wasn't extradited to Burlington County until last week.
She was being held in the county Corrections Work Release Center/Medium Security Facility in Pemberton Township on $500,000 bail.
Prior to her fatal affair with Seidle, Ms. Dow had brought false allegations against an EJF member.
Abstracted from article by Beth DeFalco, Associated Press Writer
January 9, 2007 (AP) — New Jersey Nets star Jason Kidd filed for divorce in Trenton from his wife of 10 years Tuesday, accusing her of “extreme cruelty” throughout their marriage.
In the dissolution papers, filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County, Kidd accuses Joumana Kidd of physically and mentally abusing him, threatening to make false domestic violence complaints against him to police, and of interfering with his relationship with his children.
“The defendant's extreme and unwarranted jealousy and rage has left the plaintiff concerned about her emotional stability,” the papers say.
The divorce filing came less than a day after the 33-year-old NBA player filed a domestic violence complaint seeking a temporary restraining order against his wife.
“Jason Kidd filed for divorce from his wife today on the grounds of extreme cruelty over a long period of time,” Kidd's attorney, Madeline Marzano-Lesnevich, said in a statement Tuesday.
His complaint paints a detailed portrait of Joumana Kidd as a vitriolic, jealous and paranoid wife prone to public outbursts and threats, including during a recent Nets game.
According to the complaint, Joumana Kidd used the couple's 8-year-old son on December 27, 2006, to sneak into the Nets locker room and rummage through Jason Kidd's locker to find his cell phone. After looking up the names and numbers on it, the complaint said she left her son behind as she went upstairs to take a front row seat, where she shouted insults at Kidd throughout the game.
The papers accuse Joumana Kidd of kicking, hitting, punching and throwing household objects at her husband as she became “increasingly controlling and manipulative” in the last few years of their union. According to Kidd, his wife had tracking devices installed on his cars and computers and has harassed his trainer, friends and family.
The Kidds were married in 1997 and live in Saddle River. They were involved in a domestic violence matter six years ago when he was playing for the Phoenix Suns. In that incident, Jason Kidd was arrested in January 2001 after his wife told police he hit her during an argument over their son, Trey Jason (T.J.), who was 2 at the time. Kidd pled guilty to spousal abuse, was fined $200 and ordered to take anger management training.
Besides 8-year-old T.J., the Kidds have 4-year-old twin daughters, Miah and Jazelle.
Despite the numerous accusations by Kidd in the complaint, he did not ask for sole custody of the children. “It is in the best interest that the parties share physically and legal custody of the children,” the complaint said.
Jason Kidd will make more than $18 million this season.
© 2008 WPVI-TV/DT
July 28, 2008 — The wife of a man found dead along a local road is being charged with his death.
Pedro Hernandez's lifeless body was found around 8 AM Saturday by a passerby on a bicycle on Williamstown Road near North Grove Street in Winslow Township, Camden County.
Police say Patricia Hernandez was driving on N. Grove Street in Winslow just south of Williamstown Road, to pick up her husband, Pedro shortly before 2 AM. Saturday, July 26. He had just finished working at the nearby A.C. Moore store.
Investigators say she hit her husband with her car, stopped at the scene and got out, but then got back inside and drove away.
Police charged Patricia Hernandez with leaving the scene of a fatal accident in her husband's death late Sunday night.
Patricia's family says the couple was having marital problems, but they were trying to work it out because of their 5-month-old daughter.
August 3, 2009 (AP) — Newark police say a northern New Jersey corrections officer shot and wounded her boyfriend, then killed her 4-month-old son and committed suicide inside his apartment. 39-year-old Kelly McKenith and her infant son, Kaire McKenith, were pronounced dead Monday at University Hospital.
An Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman says McKenith's boyfriend, 28-year-old Lewis Goosby, was shot three times and is in critical condition.
Police say Goosby escaped through a window after being wounded shortly before 4 PM, and Ms. McKenith barricaded herself inside the apartment when officers arrived. Police entered after hearing gunshots.
Police say they believe Ms. McKenith's service weapon was used in the shootings.
McKenith had worked for the Essex County corrections office since 2005.
Abstracted from article in Green Bay Press Gazette
August 8, 2013 — A New Jersey family that murdered together was sentenced together Thursday for the slaying of a 42-year-old man moments after he had dropped off his toddler daughter to the ex-wife who plotted his killing.
Thomas Dorsett, who beat Stephen Moore of Manchester to death on August 16, 2010, and his daughter Kathleen were given lengthy prison terms in Superior Court,. Thomas Dorsett's wife and Kathleen's mother, Lesley Dorsett, a former teacher, bookkeeper and school board member, drew a seven-year prison term for a murder-for-hire conspiracy against Moore's mother.
Prosecutors called Kathleen Dorsett, a third-grade teacher in Neptune at the time of the killing, the orchestrator of the plot to eliminate Moore because of custody of their child.
But what spawned the murder was ruthless domination, prosecutors said.
“She didn't want Stephen to have control of the child,” said Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Marc LeMieux, the lead prosecutor in the case. Stephen Moore was due to have his first three-day overnight with his 20-month-old daughter, Elizabeth, right before he was murdered, LeMieux said.
Kathleen Dorsett, 39, was sentenced to 58 years in prison for murder, conspiracy to disturb human remains and attempted murder. She will serve 47 years before she becomes eligible for parole.
Thomas Dorsett, 66, was sentenced to 45 years in prison for murdering Moore and arson for hire in connection with the disposal of Moore's body. He will serve at least 30 years before his first parole hearing.
Dorsett gave a half-hour statement before being sentenced, bizarre in its detail of the happy family life he lived before the killing, going so far as to tell the judge that his wife made a “perfect pea soup.” Surveillance video footage played in court showed Thomas Dorsett casually throwing out things associated with the murder.
Lesley Dorsett, 68, will serve just under 3 1/2 years before becoming eligible for parole. She gave an undercover detective posing as a hit man $1,000 to carry out the murder, which her daughter plotted with her while in Monmouth County jail.
Stephen Moore's mother, Evlyn, now 78, has been given custody of the daughter, Elizabeth.
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