Mount Arlington Man Cops to Murdering His Elderly Neighbor
By Travis Tormey posted in Homicide on Thursday, May 23, 2013
On Tuesday, a Mount Arlington man pleaded guilty to felony murder for the beating death of his neighbor, a 77-year-old woman who lived alone.
According to police, Danny Cole beat Barbara Wilson to death on February 6, 2011, and stole several items from her home. Ms. Wilson was found in her home bound with duct tape around her ankles. DNA collected from the tape matched Mr. Cole’s DNA.
Later, police found several items belonging to Ms. Wilson in Mr. Cole’s home: a television, a blue garbage pail lid, and two tote-like bins.
Murder is proscribed by N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3, which classifies criminal homicide as a first degree crime. According to the statute, if a person knowingly and purposefully causes another person’s death, he or she is guilty of murder. Although crimes of the first degree are generally subject to punishment of between 10 and 20 years in prison, the penalties for murder are more severe.
Had the case gone to trial, Mr. Cole could have been looking at life in prison, with a minimum term of imprisonment of 30 years to be served without parole. Instead, under the terms of the plea agreement, the prosecution is recommending a 40-year prison sentence for Mr. Cole, with Mr. Cole not becoming eligible for parole for 34 years.
Cole’s sentencing is scheduled for July 12 in Morris County Superior Court.
For more information, see the NJ.com article entitled “Mount Arlington Man Pleads Guilty to Murder in Beating Death of His Elderly Neighbor.”
