WILDWOOD — A southern New Jersey police officer convicted of kicking two handcuffed suspects has been sentenced to five years in state prison. But Wildwood Sgt. David Romeo will remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction on an official misconduct charge. Prosecutors say the 39-year-old Romeo kicked two handcuffed car burglary suspects in the head as they lay...

WILDWOOD — A southern New Jersey police officer convicted of kicking two handcuffed suspects has been sentenced to five years in state prison.

But Wildwood Sgt. David Romeo will remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction on an official misconduct charge.

Prosecutors say the 39-year-old Romeo kicked two handcuffed car burglary suspects in the head as they lay on the ground in a North Wildwood parking lot in July 2007. And during Friday's sentencing, state Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten found that Romeo's actions were measured, calculated and unprovoked.

Romeo testified that he kicked the men, but said it was because he saw a weapon — later identified as a multipurpose tool — on the ground between them. But three other officers said no weapon was present when the suspects were kicked.

HADDON TOWNSHIP — A Haddon Township High School 17-year-old student has been charged with aggravated assault and tampering with a food product after he defecated in another student's soda, according to a report by Philly.com. The unidentified minor is scheduled for a hearing in Camden County Superior Court, the report said. Recent Haddon Township coverage: theFeed();

HADDON TOWNSHIP — A Haddon Township High School 17-year-old student has been charged with aggravated assault and tampering with a food product after he defecated in another student's soda, according to a report by Philly.com.

The unidentified minor is scheduled for a hearing in Camden County Superior Court, the report said.

Google MapsA map of Haddon Township, where a high school student allegedly defecated in another student's drink.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — A woman has told a suburban Philadelphia jury that an alleged carjacker laughed and sang along with the radio moments after he murdered her boyfriend and left his body along the side of the highway. The 43-year-old woman said in Portuguese, translated for the Bucks County jury, Friday that she believed that Omar Cash would also kill...

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — A woman has told a suburban Philadelphia jury that an alleged carjacker laughed and sang along with the radio moments after he murdered her boyfriend and left his body along the side of the highway.

The 43-year-old woman said in Portuguese, translated for the Bucks County jury, Friday that she believed that Omar Cash would also kill her.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Cash, saying he carjacked the couple outside a Northeast Philadelphia nightclub in May 2008. They say he forced 32-year-old Edgar Rosas-Gutierrez to drive while he raped the woman, then killed the man before driving her to a New Jersey motel where he raped her again before she escaped.

The 28-year-old defendant was later arrested in New York. The first-degree murder, rape, and kidnapping trial resumes Monday. Cash is also charged with another murder in Philadelphia.

• Details of slaying, rape unfold as trial begins

• 'I don't think he's a human being'

• Grisly details outlined as murder, rape trial opens

• Jury selection under way in homicide, rape trial

• April 14, 2009: Indictments in Lawrence killing-rape case

• Oct. 29, 2008: Jury sees informer and hears terror talk on tape

• May 16, 2008: Alleged killer, rapist to fight extradition

Google MapsA map of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County. A victim testified today against a man accused of carjacking, killing her friend and raping her at a motel in Lawrence.

WEST MILFORD — A Montvale man is accused of driving while intoxicated after crashing into a police car on Friday on Route 23 in West Milford, according to a report by NorthJersey.com. Joseph H. Schimmenti, 54, was issued a summons for the drunken driving incident, the report said. Recent West Milford coverage: theFeed();

WEST MILFORD — A Montvale man is accused of driving while intoxicated after crashing into a police car on Friday on Route 23 in West Milford, according to a report by NorthJersey.com.

Joseph H. Schimmenti, 54, was issued a summons for the drunken driving incident, the report said.

Google MapsA map of Route 23 in West Milford, where a Montvale man allegedly crashed into a police car while driving while intoxicated.

MONUMENT, Colo. — Colorado authorities have been dispatched to California and New Jersey to search for a couple they want to question about the death of a young girl found in the basement crawl space of an empty town house. The El Paso County Sheriff's office said today it is also trying to obtain DNA samples from the couple's relatives...

MONUMENT, Colo. — Colorado authorities have been dispatched to California and New Jersey to search for a couple they want to question about the death of a young girl found in the basement crawl space of an empty town house.

The El Paso County Sheriff's office said today it is also trying to obtain DNA samples from the couple's relatives to determine whether they're related to the child who was discovered in Monument, north of Colorado Springs.

"That's just to give us a standpoint, either to determine or to rule out," said sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene.

Monique Lynch and Hanif Sims previously lived in the town house but moved in early 2009 and investigators want to talk to them, she said. They are not suspects, Sevene said.

Both have warrants out on them from New Jersey and Lynch is wanted on a drug-related probation violation and Sims on a weapons violation, she said

Authorities said the girl was between 7 and 10 years old. Workers remodeling the house found her body. The death is suspicious but it has not been ruled a homicide, Sevene said. Investigators are still waiting for lab tests to determine how she died.

The girl attended Lewis-Palmer School District 38 but she was pulled to be home schooled in October 2008, Sevene said.

The house, which had been unoccupied for some time, is now up for sale.

Daughter called relatives screaming, ‘My dad is dead and my mom killed him!'

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerInvestigators at the scene of a homicide at Roosevelt Avenue in Butler today.
BUTLER — Isabel Mirasola Phillips of Florida answered her phone this morning and received chilling news from her distraught niece in New Jersey.

"My dad is dead and my mom killed him," the 13-year-old wailed.

Phillips said she repeatedly asked her niece, Vanessa Mirasola, to check on her dad, but Vanessa refused. She stayed inside a room in her Butler home in Morris County with her 7-year-old twin siblings, while her father apparently lay lifeless in another, Phillips said.

Mirasola’s mother, Amalia, was later arrested by authorities after police discovered her dead husband in their bedroom, prosecutors said.

Carl Mirasola, 43, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the couple’s Roosevelt Avenue home, said Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi, who declined to provide any other details of the shooting.

Courtesy of the Mirasola familyCarl Mirasola (right) died from a fatal gunshot wound Saturday in his Butler home. His wife, Amalia Mirasola, who is wheelchair-bound, has been detained during the investigation into the fatal shooting.Amalia Mirasola, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, was taken into custody after police received a 911 call at 8:06 a.m. and discovered the body, authorities said. The prosecutor declined to say whether Amalia Mirasola, 44, would be charged with her husband’s murder.

"Authorities are seeking any information regarding this incident or anyone with information concerning the family," Bianchi said.

The couple’s children were in the house at the time of the shooting, family members said.

"She wanted me to come and get her," said Phillips, Carl’s sister, of Vanessa’s early morning phone call.

Phillips, who lives near Tampa, Fla., said she was boarding a plane this afternoon to fly to New Jersey. The children were taken to their grandmother’s house in West New York.

Robert Stack, a divorce lawyer representing Amalia Mirasola, said he received a call about Carl Mirasola’s death around 9 a.m. He said his client told him she has no memory of the shooting. He said she also told him she discovered her registered handgun inside her wheelchair and her husband locked inside a bedroom.

Amalia Mirasola, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004, was planning on filing for divorce, Stack said. The couple fought Friday night after Carl Mirasola learned his wife wanted to end their 19-year marriage, he said.

However, Carl Mirasola’s family disputed the lawyer’s account. Phillips, Carl’s sister, said her brother asked his wife for a divorce months ago and planned to sell their home and move to Florida.

Phillips said her brother, an IT specialist for Pearson Education in Upper Saddle River, was the main caretaker of the pair’s three children.

"He cared about one thing: the image he wanted to portray for his children of an upstanding citizen and father," said Phillips, 45.

Jinx Kastle Mirasola, Carl Mirasola’s stepmother, said the couple, affectionately known as Carly and Amy, were both good people.

"This is just beyond fathomable," Mirasola said. "For us, we just can’t imagine what led this to happen."

Today, neighbors stood on their lawns and front porches exchanging news as police cordoned off half the block with yellow tape to investigate the shooting.

Neighbors said the Mirasola family had lived on Roosevelt Avenue for several years and their house had recently been put up for sale. Amalia Mirasola mostly stayed in her house, neighbors said, adding that they saw the couple’s three children walking to and from the school bus every day.

Residents said they were surprised at yesterday’s events.

"I was just shocked. This is a very nice street," said Grace Robbins, 82, a neighbor who has lived on Roosevelt Avenue for more than 50 years. "You don’t know what goes on behind closed doors."

Staff writers Julie O’Connor and Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report.

Roosevelt Avenue in Butler

Woman confined to a wheelchair due to Multiple Sclerosis was in the midst of divorce with husband

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerInvestigators at the scene of a homicide at Roosevelt Avenue in Butler today.
BUTLER A woman held in connection with her husband’s death has been charged with homicide and an illegal weapon’s charge, according to a statement issued today by the Morris County Prosecutor’s office.

“We have placed the wife, Amalia Mirasola in custody in connection with the death of her husband,” said Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi. “Currently, authorities are seeking any information regarding this incident or anyone with information concerning the family.”

Carl Mirasola, 43, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the couple’s Roosevelt Avenue home, Bianchi said yesterday, but declined to provide any other details of the shooting.

Mirasola’s wife, Amalia Mirasola, 44, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, was taken into custody after police received a 911 call at 8:06 a.m. yesterday and discovered the body, authorities said.

Courtesy of the Mirasola familyCarl Mirasola (right) died from a fatal gunshot wound Saturday in his Butler home. His wife, Amalia Mirasola, who is wheelchair-bound, has been detained during the investigation into the fatal shooting.

The couple’s three children — one 13 year-old girl and 7-year-old twins — were in the house at the time of the shooting, family members said.

The victim’s sister, Isabel Mirasola Phillips, said received a call from the 13-year-old, Vanessa Mirasola, yesterday morning.

“My dad is dead and my mom killed him,” the 13-year-old wailed.

Phillips said she repeatedly asked her niece, Vanessa Mirasola, to check on her dad, but Vanessa refused. She stayed inside a room in her Butler home in Morris County with her siblings, while her father apparently lay lifeless in another, Phillips said.

Robert Stack, a divorce lawyer representing Amalia Mirasola, said he received a call about Carl Mirasola’s death around 9 a.m. He said his client told him she has no memory of the shooting. He said she also told him she discovered her registered handgun inside her wheelchair and her husband locked inside a bedroom.

Stack visited his client last night at the Morris County Correctional facility where she is being held on $1 million bail.

“She appeared to be still in a state of shock,” Stack said today. “She’s had no violent tendencies whatsoever in the past. She was calm but in shock.”

TOMS RIVER — A southern New Jersey man accused of selling heroin to a man who later died has been indicted on manslaughter charges. Levi Brown of Pleasantville also faces charges of distributing heroin, causing a drug-induced death and resisting arrest in the indictment handed up by an Ocean County grand jury. He could face nearly 37 years in prison...

TOMS RIVER — A southern New Jersey man accused of selling heroin to a man who later died has been indicted on manslaughter charges.

Levi Brown of Pleasantville also faces charges of distributing heroin, causing a drug-induced death and resisting arrest in the indictment handed up by an Ocean County grand jury.

He could face nearly 37 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Prosecutors say Eugene Murtagh Jr., a 39-year-old Lacey resident, bought heroin from the 23-year-old Brown in Pleasantville on Sept. 25, 2009. Brown soon ingested the drug and died later that day, shortly after he was rushed to a hospital.

Brown remains in the Ocean County Jail, where he's being held on $500,000 cash bail. Officials did not know Sunday whether Brown had retained an attorney.

• Pleasantville man is charged in 39-year-old's lethal heroin overdose

LOWER TOWNSHIP — The fatal shooting of a Georgia man whose body was found on a scallop boat in southern New Jersey will be investigated as a suspicious death. Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman, said Vernard Ellingsen's body was found Saturday morning aboard the Adrianna, a 72-foot vessel docked at Atlantic Fisheries in Lower Township. An autopsy was...

LOWER TOWNSHIP — The fatal shooting of a Georgia man whose body was found on a scallop boat in southern New Jersey will be investigated as a suspicious death.

Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman, said Vernard Ellingsen's body was found Saturday morning aboard the Adrianna, a 72-foot vessel docked at Atlantic Fisheries in Lower Township.

An autopsy was scheduled to be performed today on the 54-year-old fisherman from Cairo, Ga., but the results were not immediately available.

Jones said Ellingsen died of a gunshot wound, but further details were not disclosed.

Google MapsA map of Lower Township, where authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a Georgia man whose body was found on a scallop boat.

NEW BRUNSWICK — Two men have been arrested and charged in the shooting death of Renaldo Grandville, authorities said today. Anthony Smith, 21, and Rahmel Townes, 22, both of Orange, were arrested today following an investigation by the New Brunswick Police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office. Grandville, 22, of New Brunswick, was found lying on the sidewalk with multiple...

NEW BRUNSWICK — Two men have been arrested and charged in the shooting death of Renaldo Grandville, authorities said today.

Anthony Smith, 21, and Rahmel Townes, 22, both of Orange, were arrested today following an investigation by the New Brunswick Police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office.

Grandville, 22, of New Brunswick, was found lying on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds at the intersection of Redmond Street and Joyce Kilmer Avenue, early Saturday morning.

Smith, who is believed to have fired the weapon, was charged with murder, and his bail has not been set. Townes has been charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose and hindering police during the investigation. His bail has been set at $200,000. Both men are being held at Middlesex County Jail.

Google MapsA map of the corner of Joyce Kilmer Avenue and Redmond Street in New Brunswick. Two men have been arrested and charged in the shooting death of Renaldo Grandville.

Amalia Mirasola was charged with homicide, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, said Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerCarrying an evidence bag, Det. Kelly Duane exits a home on Roosevelt Avenue that was the scene of a murder Saturday. Amalia Mirasola, who is wheelchair bound with multiple sclerosis, allegedly shot her husband Carl several times.
BUTLER — Carl Mirasola was a devoted father, willing to do anything for his three children, according to friends.

"He offered to help with anyone. He was like a ‘Mr. Mom.’ He did everything for those kids," said neighbor Patty Jewett. "He was a fantastic man and father."

Residents of Roosevelt Avenue, a quiet suburban street in Butler, were still reeling today as authorities announced Carl Mirasola’s wife, Amalia Mirasola, 44, was charged with killing him Saturday morning, while their 13-year-old daughter and 7-year-old twins cowered in a nearby room.

"Amalia Mirasola was charged with homicide and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose," according to a statement Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi released today. Bail has been set at $1 million.

According to Stack and others, the couple had had marital problems since Mirasola’s diagnosis. The attorney said "the treatment he gave her when she developed MS was staggering" and the divorce had been in the works for several weeks.

"He knew a divorce was coming," Stack said, countering an earlier report to the contrary. "It wasn’t a shock to him."

He said the couple had a fight Friday night after Mirasola opened her own bank account.

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerA child's bicycle reste against a tree behind crime scene tape in the front lawn of the Butler home.Neighbors today said Mirasola’s disease had worsened in recent years, forcing her to use a walker and then a wheelchair. The couple was looking to sell their home and Carl Mirasola was considering moving to Florida, where his relatives live.

Next-door neighbor Steve Struck recalled talking about it with Carl Mirasola, who he said told him there were too many pressures in New Jersey and money was tight.

The victim’s sister, Isabel Mirasola Phillips, said she received a call from the 13-year-old Saturday morning. She said she repeatedly asked her niece to check on her dad, but the girl refused. She stayed inside a room with her 7-year old twin siblings, Phillips said.

Stack said he visited his client Saturday night at the Morris County Jail.

"She appeared to be still in a state of shock," Stack said Sunday. "She’s had no violent tendencies whatsoever in the past. She was calm but in shock."

By David Giambusso and Jim Lockwood/The Star-Ledger

Staff writer Victoria St. Martin contributed to this report.

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TOMS RIVER — A former Toms River School District assistant principal is accused of sexually assaulting a Toms River man, according to a report by DailyRecord.com. James Leonard, 71, was arrested Friday, the report said. Recent Toms River coverage: theFeed();

TOMS RIVER — A former Toms River School District assistant principal is accused of sexually assaulting a Toms River man, according to a report by DailyRecord.com.

James Leonard, 71, was arrested Friday, the report said.

Google MapsA map of Toms River, where a former assistant principal allegedly sexually assaulted a man.

NEWARK -- Jurors in the schoolyard trial will restart their deliberations at 9 a.m. The eight women and four men were dismissed for the weekend Thursday after roughly three hours of deliberations. They will decide the fate of Rodolfo Godinez, 26, the first of six defendants to be tried separately in connection with the triple killings at the Mount...

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerRodolfo Godinez glances over to his attorney Roy Greenman as greenman questions him on his decision not to testify in his own defense during his trial this morning at the Essex County Courthouse. Godinez is the first of six defendants to stand trial in the Aug. 4, 2007, Newark schoolyard triple killings behind Mount Vernon School of Iofemi Hightower, Dashon Harvey, both 20, Terrance Aeriel, 18, and the attempted murder of Natasha Aeriel. NEWARK -- Jurors in the schoolyard trial will restart their deliberations at 9 a.m.

The eight women and four men were dismissed for the weekend Thursday after roughly three hours of deliberations.

They will decide the fate of Rodolfo Godinez, 26, the first of six defendants to be tried separately in connection with the triple killings at the Mount Vernon School on Aug. 4, 2007. Three college-aged friends -- Terrance Aeriel, Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower -- were set upon and shot, execution-style. Terrance's sister, Natasha Aeriel, now 22, was also shot but survived.

Godinez has pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons charges.

Previous coverage:

•Newark schoolyard slayings lone survivor graduates from college

• Prosecutor delivers closing statement in Newark schoolyard slayings trial

• Expert says Newark schoolyard killings defendant scored 'borderline retarded' in mental ability tests

• Experts in Newark schoolyard slayings trial say MS-13 gang has a 'history of violence'

• Expert testifies MS-13 gang known to have machetes like one used in Newark schoolyard killings

• Defendant in Newark schoolyard slayings offered to provide brother's location to detective

• Newark schoolyard slayings suspect concerned about mother's safety after his arrest

• Scent-tracking dog in Newark schoolyard shootings case led police to defendant's home

• The Newark schoolyard killings

The jury's decision in the trial of Rodolfo Godinez is expected to be announced in court shortly

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerRodolfo Godinez sits listening to closing arguments in in his trial at the Essex County Courthouse last week. He is the first of six defendants to stand trial in the Aug. 4, 2007, Newark schoolyard triple killings behind Mount Vernon School. The jury announced this morning they had reached a verdict.

NEWARK -- The jury in the Newark schoolyard shooting trial for Rodolfo Godinez has reached a verdict this morning and it is expected to be announced within the hour. The jury announced they had reached a verdict shortly after 10 a.m.

Jury finds Rodolfo Godinez guilty in Newark schoolyard killings

Godinez, 26, is the first of of six defendants to be tried in the Aug. 4, 2007, triple killings of three college-age friends, and the shooting of a fourth friend. The jury deliberated a total of about four hours starting Thursday afternoon before reaching a verdict this morning. The jury did not meet on Friday.

Godinez, dressed in a light gray shirt, entered the courtroom moments ago to hear the jury's verdict. He shook hands with his defense attorney, Roy Greenman. Updates on the jury's ruling will be posted as soon as they become available.

Godinez is charged with three counts of murder, three counts of felony murder, one count of attempted murder, four counts of robbery, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and weapons charges related to possession of the machete and a handgun.

Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey, both 20, and Terrance Aeriel, 18, died in the shooting. Terrance's sister, Natasha Aeriel, then 19, was shot but survived.

• Newark schoolyard slayings lone survivor graduates from college

• Prosecutor delivers closing statement in Newark schoolyard slayings trial

• Expert says Newark schoolyard killings defendant scored 'borderline retarded' in mental ability tests

• Experts in Newark schoolyard slayings trial say MS-13 gang has a 'history of violence'

• Expert testifies MS-13 gang known to have machetes like one used in Newark schoolyard killings

• Defendant in Newark schoolyard slayings offered to provide brother's location to detective

• Newark schoolyard slayings suspect concerned about mother's safety after his arrest

• Scent-tracking dog in Newark schoolyard shootings case led police to defendant's home

• DNA links suspect to Newark schoolyard slayings scene

• The Newark schoolyard killings

Godinez, 26, is one of six charged in the 2007 triple slaying -- More coverage: Lone survivor graduates from college

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerRodolfo Godinez, right, and his attorney, Roy Greenman stand today as the jury returns to the courtroom with a verdict in his trial at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark. Godinez was convicted in the murder of three young people in a Newark schoolyard.
NEWARK — Rodolfo Godinez was convicted today in the killing of three college students in the high-profile schoolyard slayings nearly three years ago.

The jurors announced they had reached a verdict shortly after 10 a.m. The eight women and four men reconvened today after roughly three hours of deliberations Thursday.

Shalga Hightower, mother of victim Iofemi Hightower, spoke today about the verdict outside the courthouse while holding a 2005 prom photo of her daughter.

"Justice is done for my angel and her friends," Hightower said. "It doesn't take away the pain, but justice was served."

Shalga Hightower said she planned to attend the trials of the other defendants. "That's one down, five more to go," she said.

Three college-bound students were lined up against a wall and shot in the head that night. Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey, both 20, and Terrance Aeriel, 18, all died. Terrance's sister, Natasha Aeriel, then 19, was shot but survived.

Godinez, 26, is one of six defendants charged in connection with the Aug. 4, 2007, triple killing. He was convicted on all 17 counts including murder, felony murder, attempted murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and weapons charges related to possession of a machete and a handgun.

His sentencing is scheduled for July 8.

"There's no doubt about it: when this jury comes out...this is going to be one very tense room," Ravin said. "No matter what the verdict is...all must retain their composure."

Joan Harvey, Dashon's aunt, said she had a difficult time complying with the order as the jury foreman said "guilty" to 17 counts.

"That was hard," Harvey said. "I got a headache from keeping it all in."

During the four-week trial, Essex County assistant prosecutors Thomas McTigue and Romesh Sukhdeo called 26 witnesses to the stand, including Natasha Aeriel, now 22. More than 400 pieces of evidence were introduced during 11 days of testimony.

Roy Greenman, Godinez's attorney, had argued that his client was a helpless witness to the killings and played no active role. Greenman said he was disappointed in the verdict.

"(Godinez) is aware that an appeal will be filed on his behalf," Greenman said.

James Harvey, the father of victim Dashon Harvey, wiped tears from his eyes with a white handkerchief as the jury foreman read the guilty verdict.

He called the verdict "a truly jubilant occasion," and felt "truly blessed" after hearing the verdict.

"Now my head is on cloud nine," James Harvey said. "It was hard for us to see (Godinez) everyday coming into court with a smirk on his face. But we have the last laugh."

• Newark schoolyard slayings lone survivor graduates from college

• Prosecutor delivers closing statement in Newark schoolyard slayings trial

• Expert says Newark schoolyard killings defendant scored 'borderline retarded' in mental ability tests

• Experts in Newark schoolyard slayings trial say MS-13 gang has a 'history of violence'

• Expert testifies MS-13 gang known to have machetes like one used in Newark schoolyard killings

• Defendant in Newark schoolyard slayings offered to provide brother's location to detective

• Newark schoolyard slayings suspect concerned about mother's safety after his arrest

• Scent-tracking dog in Newark schoolyard shootings case led police to defendant's home

• DNA links suspect to Newark schoolyard slayings scene

• The Newark schoolyard killings

KENILWORTH -- A Newark teenager has been charged with vehicular homicide and drunken driving in a Garden State Parkway crash in Kenilworth earlier this month that left one of her passengers dead and another in critical condition. Priscilla Natal, 19, is accused of speeding northbound with four passengers in her Ford Escort shortly before 2 a.m. on May 8,...

Union County Prosecutor's OfficePriscilla Natal, 19, of Newark, is charged with drunken driving in a Garden State Parkway crash that left two people dead on May 8. KENILWORTH -- A Newark teenager has been charged with vehicular homicide and drunken driving in a Garden State Parkway crash in Kenilworth earlier this month that left one of her passengers dead and another in critical condition.

Priscilla Natal, 19, is accused of speeding northbound with four passengers in her Ford Escort shortly before 2 a.m. on May 8, according to police. Natal, who was on the right-hand lane, was trying to pass a black BMW when the accident happened, State Police spokesman Det. Brian Polite said.

The BMW slid into her lane, and the two cars collided, Polite said. Natal's vehicle ran off the road and hit a tree.

Two passengers, both from Union, were thrown from Natal's car. Hernan Sanchez Jr., 18, died, while Melissa Rebeiro, 19, remains in critical condition, according to the State Police.

Natal was arrested on Friday and charged with vehicular homicide, assault by auto, drinking underage, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and possession of an open alcoholic beverage within a motor vehicle.

The driver of the BMW fled the scene and is being sought by the State Police, which is asking anyone with information to call troopers at the Bloomfield station at (973) 338-1370.

Polite referred additional questions to the Union County Prosecutor's Office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google MapsA map view of the Garden State Parkway near Cranford and Kenilworth, where a fatal hit-and-run accident occurred.

NEWARK -- Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino said he would seek consecutive 30-year prison sentences after Rodolfo Godinez was convicted in the Newark schoolyard triple slaying. "This man will never see the light of day," Laurino said at a press conference. More coverage: • Jury finds Rodolfo Godinez guilty in Newark schoolyard killings • Newark schoolyard slayings...

NEWARK -- Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino said he would seek consecutive 30-year prison sentences after Rodolfo Godinez was convicted in the Newark schoolyard triple slaying.

"This man will never see the light of day," Laurino said at a press conference.

As she said those words, James Harvey, Dashon's father, nodded his head and murmured, "Yes, they did."

The other five defendants will be tried separately, with the next trial expected sometime in the fall, said Thomas McTigue, the assistant prosecutor who argued the case against Godinez.

Laurino called the case against Godinez the "most difficult" out of the defendants. Prosecutors did not have any evidence linking Godinez to the weapons used.

But McTigue, who argued the case along with Assistant Prosecutor Romesh Sukhdeo, said he had little doubt about the strength of their evidence.

"We had no lack of confidence in our ability to prosecute," he said.

He said Godinez's DNA sample, which was found on a beer bottle at the crime scene, was one of the crucial pieces of evidence in the case.

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerShalga Hightower (center) mother of victim Iofemi Hightower reacts as the jury verdicts are announced convicting Rodolfo Godinez at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark.

RARITAN TWP -- A Superior Court judge today refused to reduce the bail for a Hunterdon County man who is accused of having sex with a young girl and a woman without telling them he is infected with HIV. Taking into account the seriousness of the charges, Superior Court Judge Stephen Rubin refused to reduce the $110,000 figure for...

View full sizeEd Murray/The Star-LedgerIn a 2006 photo, Rick Webster, then 16, of Tewksbury, talks about having HIV. Webster, now 20, has been charged with having sex with a girl under the age of 16.
RARITAN TWP -- A Superior Court judge today refused to reduce the bail for a Hunterdon County man who is accused of having sex with a young girl and a woman without telling them he is infected with HIV.

Taking into account the seriousness of the charges, Superior Court Judge Stephen Rubin refused to reduce the $110,000 figure for Rick “Ricky” Webster, 20, of Clinton.

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office has accused Webster of second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and a diseased person committing an act of sexual penetration for allegedly attacking a girl younger than 16 in August and September in Raritan Township. He was arrested in February and bail was set at $100,000.

In the second case, he was charged in March with third-degree diseased person committing an act of sexual penetration for engaging in multiple acts of sexual penetration without advising the woman of his HIV status.

“It was an assumption on his part that she had knowledge” of his HIV status, Moreira said in court, asking Rubin to reduce the bail to $75,000.

Assistant Prosecutor Brian Shevlin reminded the judge that there are two victims. In the minor's case, Webster “admitted that he had sexual intercourse with someone underage.”

The bail range for sexual assault is $50,000 to $200,000, Shevlin said. At $100,000, “I don’t think that’s unreasonable,” he said.

Rubin noted that Webster is charged with second- and third-degree crimes. “The bail is well within the guidelines,” Rubin said. “In fact, if anything, it’s on the lower end. I’m going to leave bail the way it is.”

NEW BRUNSWICK -- The trial of six Rutgers University sorority sisters accused of hazing pledges was postponed today until June 7 at the request of New Brunswick municipal prosecutor. Prosecutor Robert Adochio told Municipal Court Judge E. Ronald Wright that he needed to re-schedule the case, which was scheduled to begin today, to prepare for the trial and to...

file photoOne of the defendants in the Rutgers University Sigma Gamma Rho sorority hazing case hides her face during a February appearance at New Brunswick municipal court.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- The trial of six Rutgers University sorority sisters accused of hazing pledges was postponed today until June 7 at the request of New Brunswick municipal prosecutor.

Prosecutor Robert Adochio told Municipal Court Judge E. Ronald Wright that he needed to re-schedule the case, which was scheduled to begin today, to prepare for the trial and to contact the pledge who complained she had been struck with a paddle more than 200 times.

Six members of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority members -- Shawna Ebanks, 21, of Orange, Kesha Cheron, 20, of Newark, Llana Warner, 20, of the Bronx, Vanessa Adegbite, 21, of Jersey City and Joana Bernard, and Marie Charles, both 21, of West Orange, were charged Jan. 27 with striking several students on the buttocks with paddles during pledge sessions between Jan. 18 and Jan. 25.

Defense lawyers said the sorority members deny hitting the students.

In April, the university dropped all the disciplinary charges against the women, according to their lawyers. The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office downgraded the charges from indictable fourth-degree offenses to simple hazing -- a disorderly persons offense -- because they did not rise to the level of more the serious charge of aggravated hazing.

Defense attorney Dwayne Warren, who represents Bernard, requested charges against his client be dismissed because the prosecutor was not ready to proceed, but Wright denied the request.

On Jan. 26, a pledge went with her mother to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment of injuries caused by the alleged beatings. She then reported the incident to university officials, telling them she had been hit more than 200 times.

Authorities said the paddlings took place at Rockoff Hall, a student apartment building on George Street in New Brunswick, and in private homes in West Orange and Newark.

The sorority members have all pleaded not guilty. Five of the women graduated from the university earlier this month.

All the girls tried to hide their faces from a photographer when they entered the court room today.

The university has suspended the Rutgers chapter of the sorority.

JERSEY CITY — A federal judge in Newark today upheld the conviction of a former Jersey City deputy mayor found guilty in connection with last year's massive FBI sting, dismissing her lawyer's argument that the federal bribery statue does not apply to political donations. Leona Beldini was convicted in February of accepting $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions in exchange...

Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerLeona Beldini leaves federal court in Newark with her lawyer Brian J. Neary, after being found guilty on two counts in her trial on bribery charges in February 2010. An appeal to dismiss the verdict was dismissed today by a judge.
JERSEY CITY — A federal judge in Newark today upheld the conviction of a former Jersey City deputy mayor found guilty in connection with last year's massive FBI sting, dismissing her lawyer's argument that the federal bribery statue does not apply to political donations.

Leona Beldini was convicted in February of accepting $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions in exchange for promising to help secure development approvals.

“Certainly there was sufficient evidence in this case,” U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares said.

Beldini was charged in July along with scores of others in a corruption and money-laundering probe anchored by Solomon Dwek, an admitted real estate swindler who became an FBI informant. He spent more than two years posing as a crooked real estate developer trying to trade envelopes of cash for building permits.

The 75-year-old Democrat was treasurer for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, and authorities say the cash went into his campaign. But Neary contends in his legal filing prosecutors failed to prove Beldini received anything of value.

Linares has scheduled her sentencing for June 1.

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• U.S. Attorney on Beldini verdict: Public service isn't about enriching yourself, friends

• Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini is found guilty on two charges in N.J. corruption trial

• Jurors go back to work at Beldini corruption trial

• Full coverage of the New Jersey corruption probe