Warren man declines plea for charges in fatal hit-and-run of Centenary president's wife
A Hackettstown man who police say was driving drunk when he fatally struck the wife of Centenary University's president in January has declined a plea offer by prosecutors.
Jefferson Chimbo-Pelaez, 25, who prosecutors say fled the scene after he purportedly struck Jeanne Murphy, 70, during her Jan. 7 morning walk, won't plead guilty to the crime of first-degree reckless vehicular homicide and with it a recommended 12 years in state prison.
Bob Russell, Chimbo-Pelaez's defense attorney, did not say why his client was declining the offer during a Feb. 24 hearing in state Superior Court in Warren County but instead was abrupt to ask Judge H. Michael Curry to "refer the matter to the grand jury."
The offer, first placed on the record by prosecutors last week, would require Chimbo-Pelaez to serve 85%, or a little over 10 years in prison. The offer will remain open until a grand jury considers an indictment, or formal charges, against him, which is expected before the end of the month, according to Anthony Robinson, Warren County's first assistant prosecutor.
Chimbo-Pelaez's attorney did not argue during a detention hearing in January that his client was behind the wheel of the SUV that struck the retired U.S. Army colonel, instead stating that it was "not unreasonable" that Chimbo-Pelaez believed he had struck a deer.
Murphy was walking on Reese Avenue, parallel to the college's south campus and near First Avenue, when she was struck around 7:30 a.m. She died around noon on Jan. 8 at Morristown Medical Center.
Chimbo-Pelaez, who did not have a license and had received his learner's permit three months prior, is facing seven criminal charges including aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide, each carrying a maximum sentencing exposure of 30 years in prison.
A judge ordered he remain in Warren County jail in January, calling the man's actions a "complete disregard for the criminal justice system" after prosecutors laid out a timeline of Chimbo-Pelaez's purported poor choices before, during and after the crash.
Chimbo-Pelaez's badly damaged SUV was found by police parked in front of his family's home just a couple hundred yards from the crime scene and when asked what happened, he offered varying stories, Robinson said during the detention hearing in January. He first told officers the damage to the vehicle was "new" to him, then said he had not been driving that morning before finally admitting he had been but had believed he had struck a deer, Robinson said.
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Chimbo-Pelaez had played soccer the evening of Jan. 6 and purchased liquor at ShopRite, admitting to police he had been "drinking overnight," according to court records. When his blood alcohol content was tested five to six hours after the crash, it had a reading of .12%, over the 0.08% legal limit to drive. Prosecutors believe it would have been "significantly higher" had he been tested at the time of the crash.
The community honored Jeanne Murphy's achievements and advocacy during a celebration of life and candlelight vigil in January. A former career Army nurse, Murphy served many leadership roles and spearheaded several health, wellness and support programs through the United States and abroad.
Murphy's husband, Bruce, announced in September he would retire after a three-year stint leading the liberal arts college. In February, it was announced the school, for the first time in its 156-year history, had hired an African- American president. Dale G. Caldwell will begin on July 1.
Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Hackettstown NJ hit-and-run: Man declines plea deal in fatal crash
