Ho-Ho-Kus NJ Man Indicted on Murder Charges, Allegedly Killed His Mother
A Ho-Ho-Kus NJ man was recently indicted by a Bergen County grand jury for allegedly murdering his mother.
According to Bergen County prosecutors, the 24-year-old suspect stabbed his 63-year-old mother to death in September 2014. The suspect allegedly beat his mother before stabbing her.
The victim was discovered at her residence when police officers arrived at the scene. Police responded after receiving an aborted 911 call.
The suspect faces first degree murder charges, as well as charges for unlawful possession of a weapon.
The suspect’s defense attorney has argued that his client was not responsible for his actions because he was mentally ill and probably should have been in a mental health facility at the time of the killing.
The suspect is a former lacrosse star at Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, New Jersey. At the time of the fatal incident, he was working as a stagehand for ABC-7.
If the suspect is convicted on the homicide charges, he faces severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3, a person who purposely causes death can be charged with a first degree felony. Although first degree felonies are usually punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in NJ State Prison, criminal homicide is treated differently; a murder conviction can lead to a sentence of 30 years to life in state prison.
The suspect is currently being housed at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack NJ in lieu of $2 million bail. He will have to return to Bergen County Superior Court in August to be arraigned on the murder charges.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Grand Jury Indicts Man Accused of Killing Mother, Report Says.”