Neptune woman gets three years in prison for fatal stabbing of boyfriend
FREEHOLD - A Neptune woman has been sentenced to three years in state prison for the killing of her boyfriend in a case where she had initially claimed self-defense before agreeing to a plea deal that dropped the murder charges she was facing.
During her trial in late March, Monique Moore withdrew her self-defense claim and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, admitting that she stabbed Joseph Wilson Jr. in her apartment on Nov. 27, 2016, which resulted in the death of the 29-year-old Neptune man.
Originally, the defendant claimed that after attempting to end her relationship with Wilson and kick him out of her apartment, he attacked her, throwing her against a table, choking her and banging her head against the tiled floor.
Moore claimed she was forced to defend herself, leading her to fatally plunge a knife through Wilson's heart and lung.
Prosecutors argued that Moore had become obsessed with Wilson and turned violent after he tried to break up with her.
Intense negotiations preceded Moore's guilty plea, once her defense attorney, Michael Chazen told the jury that he found Wilson was named in two domestic violence reports in Brick in both 2010 and 2011, at the home of his then-girlfriend, Natasha Johnson.
The prosecution's argument:'Joey Wilson broke her heart, and she stabbed him in his'
“I’m only introducing it to show who is the aggressor," Chazen said to the jury. “This is a guy who kicks in doors. This is a guy who punches a 16-year-old, causing blood to spatter throughout the apartment."
Because Wilson was never arrested or charged in the cases, the reports did not come up in database searches and would typically be excluded as evidence, Joseph Cummings, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, said during the trial.
But after negotiations, Cummings reported to the judge that a plea agreement had been reached in the case, "based on the information that came to light."
'Joey, Joey, c'mon, breathe':What Neptune woman told boyfriend after stabbing him
Moore's plea deal kept her from potentially facing a minimum of 30 years to life in prison. Murder, a weapons offense and hindering apprehension charges were also dismissed with the deal.
Chazen said this deal was a no-brainer for Moore.
"She's young, she's healthy and she is blessed with loving family and friends," he said in an interview Wednesday. "She'll be OK."
Chazen also said that during Tuesday's sentencing, Moore turned to Wilson's family and made a heartfelt statement, saying that she prays for Wilson and prays even harder for them.
Monmouth County Prosecutor's spokesman Mark Spivey said Moore must serve 85% of the term before the possibility of parole under New Jersey's No Early Release Act (NERA).
Moore had been free on $200,000 bail since December 2016.
Superior Court Judge Jill O'Malley presided over this case.
Previous Asbury Park Press stories contributed to this report. Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-858-5874; jcalderon@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Neptune NJ woman gets three years for fatally stabbing boyfriend
