Former Hasbrouck Heights NJ Cop Confesses to Violently Killing Longtime Friend
A retired Hasbrouck Heights NJ police officer recently pleaded guilty to killing his childhood friend in a dispute that stemmed from a financial matter.
The suspect was employed as a police officer with the Hasbrouck Heights Police Department. He retired in 2008 at the age of 29 and after seven years with the force.
According to law enforcement, the deadly incident occurred while the suspect visited the victim in Wood-Ridge NJ in December 2011. The two friends were reportedly engaged in a verbal altercation over a financial matter when the dispute escalated and became physical.
At some point during the altercation, the suspect allegedly picked up a knife and stabbed the victim. The suspect then allegedly found a hammer and used it to strike the victim.
The suspect was later arrested and charged with murder. In July 2012, a grand jury indicted the suspect on the murder charges, in addition to criminal charges for theft, hindering apprehension, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
The suspect recently reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the case. The suspect appeared in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack NJ and admitted to committing the killing.
The suspect’s plea deal calls for him to plead guilty to charges of aggravated manslaughter.
Had the suspect gone to trial, he would have faced a possible life sentence. Instead, he will now be sentenced to serve 25 years in New Jersey State Prison for aggravated manslaughter.
According to authorities, the suspect was previously arrested for a drug crime. In 2011, two years after the suspect retired as a police officer, he was arrested on suspicion of prescription drug possession.
For further information about this case, view the NJ.com article entitled “Ex-N.J. Cop Confesses to Killing Childhood Friend, Report Says.”
