FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Al Della Fave

Ocean County Prosecutors Office

June 27, 2014 P.O. Box 2191
Toms Rier, !J 0"7#$
P%one& '7$2( 2"")7*1*
Ce++u+ar& '7$2( "14)7$47
DEFENDANT FOUND GUILTY IN MURDER FOR HIRE TRIAL
,R--.O/0, !-1 J-R2-3 4 On ,ri5ay, June 27, 2014, a 6ury foun5 5efen5ant Jay R. 7o+58er9,
*4, of /itt+e -99 .ar8or, !J, 9ui+ty of t:o first 5e9ree crimes for t%e cons;iracy to commit an5 attem;te5
mur5er of former <ssistant Ocean County Prosecutor 2teen !. Cucci. T%e tria+ :as ;rosecute5 8y
-xecutie <ssistant Prosecutor =ic%e+ <. Pau+%us an5 <ssistant Prosecutor Jamie /. 2c%ron. 0etectie Brian
.a99erty, of t%e Ocean County Prosecutors Office =a6or Crimes >nit, :as t%e +ea5 inesti9ator.

<fter near+y t:o 5ays of 6ury se+ection, t%e tria+ 8e9an :it% o;enin9 statements on =on5ay, June
2$, 2014. <ssistant Prosecutor Jamie /. 2c%ron ex;+aine5 to t%e 6ury t%at 7o+58er9 %ate5 Cucci an5
8+ame5 %im for a++ of %is ;ro8+ems. ?T%is :as ;ay8ac@,A 2c%ron ex;+aine5.
On 5irect examination 8y -xecutie <ssistant Prosecutor =ic%e+ <. Pau+%us, Cucci ex;+aine5 t%at
%e %a5 8een t%e <ssistant Prosecutor assi9ne5 to ;rosecute 7o+58er9 for ot%er crimes in 2009. T%ose
c%ar9es resu+te5 in conictions in 2012 for t%e <99raate5 =ans+au9%ter of 2ar@is 2%a%inian, 7o+58er9Bs
nei9%8or, an5 =aintainin9 a Contro++e5 0an9erous 2u8stance Pro5uction ,aci+ity, 8ot% first 5e9ree
crimes.
Cucci testifie5 t%at %e %a5 ;+anne5 to re;resent t%e 2tate at sentencin9, 8ut 6ust ;rior %e receie5 a
+etter from an inmate in t%e Ocean County Jai+. T%e +etter state5 t%at 7o+58er9 %a5 so+icite5 %im to @i++
Cucci.
0etecties Brian .a99erty an5 T%omas Tiernan from t%e Ocean County Prosecutors Office an5
2er9eant =ic%ae+ 0e+anoy from t%e Ocean County Jai+ testifie5 t%at t%e same inmate t%en %a5 a recor5e5
conersation :it% 7o+58er9 insi5e of t%e Jai+. 0urin9 t%e conersation, 7o+58er9 5iscusse5 %is ;+ot to
%ae Cucci @i++e5 an5 %o: %e ;+anne5 to ;ay for it. T%e inmate su99este5 t%at 7o+58er9 meet :it% %is
associate ?Cictor,A a mem8er of Russian or9aniDe5 crime to %ae t%e mur5er ;+ot carrie5 out.
< fe: 5ays +ater, an un5ercoer 5etectie from t%e =onmout% County Prosecutors Office ;osin9
as ?CictorA met :it% 7o+58er9 t:ice in t%e Jai+. T%eir meetin9s :ere a+so recor5e5 an5 ;+aye5 for t%e
6ury. 0urin9 t%eir meetin9s, 7o+58er9 %ire5 ?CictorA an5 9ae %im a +etter to sen5 to %is sister an5
8rot%er)in)+a: as@in9 for E1#,000. 7o+58er9 :rote t%at t%e money :as for a ne: attorney, 8ut t%e 6ury
%ear5 an5 sa: ei5ence t%at it :as actua++y ;ayment for Cuccis mur5er.
<fter t%e conc+usion of t%e 2tates case, 7o+58er9 e+ecte5 to testify. 7o+58er9 state5 t%at %e neer
:ante5 to %urt Cucci. .e c+aime5 %e :as un5er 5uress an5 coerce5. 7o+58er9 c%aracteriDe5 %is con5uct
as ?entin9.A
PRESS RELEASE
0urin9 %is summation, <ssistant 0e;uty Pu8+ic 0efen5er Can /ane ar9ue5 t%at 5efen5ant %a5 not
ta@en enou9% ste;s to com;+ete t%e c%ar9e5 crimes. ?<n a9reement to a9ree is not an a9reement, ? /ane
state5.
Pau+%us ex;+aine5 to t%e 6ury t%at 7o+58er9 5i5 eeryt%in9 %e cou+5 %ae from insi5e t%e Jai+ to
see t%at Cucci :as mur5ere5. ?1%at 5efen5ant 5i5 :as t%e %ei9%t of +a:+essness,A Pau+%us ar9ue5.
7o+58er9 is current+y serin9 a 20 year sentence at 2out% 1oo5s 2tate Prison for %is <99raate5
=ans+au9%ter an5 5ru9 c%ar9es. .is sentencin9 is sc%e5u+e5 for 2e;tem8er #, 2014, 8efore t%e .onora8+e
,rancis J. Cernoia, P.J.Cr. <t t%at time, t%e 2tate :i++ ar9ue for a consecutie sentence to t%e one
7o+58er9 is current+y serin9.
J<3 R. 7O/0B-R7
P%oto courtesy !J 0OC
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