The defendant in an Englewood, New Jersey double homicide case was recently found not guilty after trial in Bergen County Superior Court.
The suspect is a 38-year-old man from Bergen County. He has been held in a county jail in Hackensack since January 2013 on criminal charges that he killed a woman and the five-year-old daughter they shared.
The two victims were found in their apartment on West Palisades Avenue in Englewood, NJ. The adult victim was stabbed 11 times and the child was suffocated with a bag. One day after the victims’ bodies were discovered, police arrested the suspect.
Investigators believed that the suspect committed the homicides. Family members of the adult victim said that the suspect previously committed acts of domestic violence against the victim.
The suspect faced numerous criminal charges, including charges for first degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, and hindering apprehension.
The suspect received multiple plea deals from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, but he turned down the offers and maintained his innocence.
During the homicide trial, the jury saw a police interrogation video that showed the suspect telling police officers that he was innocent dozens of times.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours and ultimately found the defendant not guilty on all charges.
For additional information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Shock Verdict as Jury Takes 2 Hours to Acquit Man in Murder of Woman, Daughter.”