Lakewood man indicted in girlfriend’s murder in Leisure Village: Prosecutor
A Lakewood man charged in the murder of his live-in girlfriend has been indicted by a grand jury in Toms River, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Wednesday.
John Filistovich, 59, has been held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River since he was extradited from Maryland in June after being charged in the death of Betty Perry, 60.
Perry’s battered, nude body was found dead on the bedroom floor of the Thornbury Court home they shared in the age-restricted community of Leisure Village on May 30. A neighbor had asked authorities to conduct a welfare check of the victim who had not been seen in several days.
Perry was also marked “from head to toe” with blue paint or ink, according to court documents.
On the same day her body was discovered in Lakewood, Maryland State Police troopers came upon Filistovich parked on the side of a road outside Salisbury, Maryland, in Perry’s 2015 Hyundai Elantra. He appeared to be having a “mental health episode” and his left hand was bruised, swollen and stained blue, according to law enforcement records.
Related: Accused Lakewood killer John Filistovich extradited to New Jersey from Maryland
Filistovich had shared a “tumultuous” relationship with Perry and there was a history of domestic violence, according to the documents.
At their home, police had found Perry’s body in a rear bedroom and the responding officers observed apparent blood on the bedsheets and spray paint on the walls of the bedroom and the body of the victim, said an affidavit prepared by Lakewood Detective Matthew Richardson.
More: Lakewood murder victim's nude body was defaced with spray paint or ink
A post-mortem examination by the Ocean County Medical Examiner conducted one day later, determined the cause of death to be blunt force injuries to the head, neck and chest with asphyxiation — the death was ruled a homicide.
In Maryland, Filistovich had been taken to a medical facility in Salisbury and charged in the theft of Perry’s vehicle. On June 1, he was subsequently charged with her murder.
He was transferred to the Wicomico County Jail, also in Salisbury, before his extradition back to New Jersey, all according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Kaitlyn Burke presented the case to the grand jury.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ man indicted in girlfriend’s murder in Leisure Village
