News: Custody Battle for Attempted Murderer
(Long Island, N.Y.) The parents of a twenty-six-year-old father of two, who was accused of conspiring to kill his twenty-seven-year-old wife, will face an ugly custody battle. The parents of the deceased have challenged the decision to keep the two young children with the family of the alleged murderer. Until then, the boys have been staying with their paternal grandparents who have been awarded temporary custody.
The grandparents from Flatbush, Brooklyn attended Family Court on Jay Street for the start of the court proceedings. The family of the deceased is from New Jersey and has been granted weekend visits. Friday will start the first of such meetings between the boys and their mother’s parents.
In the meantime, attorneys are battling to grant custody to the young woman’s older sister. Supporting their argument is the claim that the oldest son, just five years of age, has been withdrawn and antisocial since his mother’s murder. He has attended kindergarten at Public School 152 following the killing.
Records stated that the young boy had claimed that he was afraid “they” would kill him like his mother. Reports indicated that lawyers for his maternal family believed the child was referring to his father’s parents. Additional claims stated that the child is afraid of his grandparents, and many followers of the case support the attempt to give custody to the family of the deceased.
The decision for full-time custody has been postponed until after a hearing that will take place later in the month. In the meantime, judge-appointed attorneys from The Children’s Law Center will represent the boys. The youngest son, just three years of age, will also be considered when further evaluations are made regarding the natures of both families as they interact with the boys.
Last week the 911 tape was released of the phone call the boy’s father made to emergency responders. Reports stated that over twenty additional calls were received on the night of the killing regarding multiple gunshots heard throughout the neighborhood. The quiet, close-knit suburban town of Boonton, New Jersey is still shaken over the August killing of the twenty-seven-year-old mother of two.
A vigil will be held on October 16th in the town of Boonton to honor the young woman’s memory. A walk will also be included as friends and family members participate in the event. The husband has been incarcerated in the Morris County Correctional Facility.
Sources claimed that the husband eventually confessed to his role in the killing after the murder weapon was allegedly found inside his vehicle. He has been held on three million dollars bail. His mistress, a twenty-six-year-old woman from Boston, has been named the shooter and co-conspirator in the killing and has been held on bail for five million dollars.
