Victim's boyfriend takes the stand in East Rutherford murder trial

The boyfriend of a woman killed in East Rutherford nearly six years ago took the stand in Bergen County court this week as prosecutors built their case in the murder trial of Francis Tattoli.

Tattoli is on trial in the December 2016 killing and attempted kidnapping of Monet Thomas, who lived in the building with her boyfriend and their dog.

Thomas' boyfriend, Jonathan Ferreira, was the first witness for the prosecution on Wednesday.

During his testimony, Ferreira broke down the timeline before the killing, saying they spent most of the day sleeping before getting ready for a Christmas party.

Ferreira said Thomas went to take their French bulldog Meatball out for a walk but got worried when he realized she hadn't returned. He said he heard a strange clicking and when he went to his apartment's second bedroom, he looked out and saw the dog by himself. He said it was odd and he called out Thomas' name but she didn't respond.

He went downstairs to look for her and saw Tattoli's apartment door open and someone on the floor but thought Tattoli had overdosed. When he couldn't find Thomas outside, he went back inside and realized his girlfriend was the person in Tattoli's apartment.

He called 911 and turned off the stove's pilot lights, which was the source of the clicking. Ferreira said he began performing CPR on Thomas but went to investigate a noise he heard. He said he found Tattoli underneath his bed covers, hiding. He described the East Rutherford man as bloody, shirtless and shoeless.

Ferreira said he asked Tattoli what happened and that he was "frustrated" when he wouldn't respond, only asking what he had done, so he kicked him and dragged him out of bed.

He said Tattoli walked out of the apartment while he was attempting to revive his girlfriend and that he ran outside to flag down the police.

When it came time for cross-examination, Tattoli's attorney, Brian Neary, hammered Ferreira over the two statements he gave to the East Rutherford police and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

During his opening statements, Neary didn't deny that Tattoli killed Thomas. He argued that years of drug abuse caused Tattoli to attack and kill Thomas.

During his questioning of Ferreira, Neary asked about his relationship with Tattoli. Ferreira said he had known the Tattoli family since at least 2000 and Tattoli's oldest brother was one of his closest friends. According to Ferreira, he didn't know that Tattoli, his mother and his brother Vincent lived on the first floor of their apartment building until he and Thomas moved in.

Neary asked Ferreira if he knew of Tattoli's phencyclidine or PCP problem. Ferreira said Tattoli's brother had told him of his brother's drug use but he didn't witness it for himself until he moved into the apartment.

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Ferreira said Thomas didn't like to be around Tattoli because he scared her, but Neary said Ferreira never put that into his statement.

During questioning, Ferreira told Neary and the court he was able to discern whether or not someone was sober and that he had seen Tattoli act both passively and aggressively when high. The owner of the building lived with Ferreira and Thomas temporarily and Ferreira said he was helping him get sober.

He also said that if Tattoli came to the apartment, it was to hang out with the building owner and that he never spent time with Tattoli alone.

Neary questioned if Ferreira could tell if Tattoli was high the night of the attack but Assistant Prosecutor David Malfitano objected. Malfitano objected to the line of questioning several times while Neary argued Ferreira was qualified to give an opinion as a layperson that Tattoli was under the influence of drugs the night Thomas was killed.

Judge Keith Bachmann ruled that Neary could ask Ferreira questions about Tattoli's appearance that night but he was not qualified enough to render an opinion of Tattoli's sobriety.

In addition to Ferreira's testimony, East Rutherford Patrol Officer Matthew Bucceri testified. Bucceri was the first officer on the scene and the one who put Tattoli in handcuffs.

Bucceri said when he got to the Summer Street apartment, he saw two men "tussling" in the street, which ended up being Ferreira and Tattoli. Despite the cold of the night, Tattoli was only wearing gray sweatpants.

After Bucceri separated the two, he said he heard Tattoli muttering under his breath but he was more focused on Ferreira who took him to Thomas. Bucceri said when he saw her on the floor, he clearly heard Tattoli say "I think I hurt her."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: East Rutherford murder trial begins with victim's boyfriend