Judge announces trial of 5 men charged in killing of NJ detective will be moved to new county

A judge ruled Friday that the case against five defendants charged in connection with the home invasion death of a Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office detective will be moved to Atlantic County.

Detective Sergeant. Monica Mosley was shot and killed on October 15. at his home in Bridgeton. Four people are accused of murder in the case, while the fifth is accused of trying to cover up evidence.

Lawyers of all five defendants Citing possible conflicts of interest, he requested that the case be moved from Cumberland County and that a different prosecutor be assigned to the case.

The prosecution announced Friday that it had dropped its initial objection to move the case. But the state is still fighting efforts to replace the prosecutor.

Vicinage 15 Appointment Judge Benjamin Telsey ordered the change of venue at Friday’s hearing.

Authorities allege a group of men broke into Mosley’s Bridgeton home and shot him three times. Investigators said Mosley, 51, shot one of the intruders in the chest before he died from his injuries.

Authorities did not say whether Mosley knew the attackers or whether the crime was a random home invasion. The reason for the murder was not disclosed.

Nyshawn B. Mutcherson, 29, of Vineland, Jarred D. Brown, 31, of Bridgeton, Richard B. Hawkins Willis, 32, of Gloucester City, and Byron L. Thomas, 35, of Paulsboro, are charged with first-degree criminal conduct. murder, burglary, second-degree burglary, multiple counts of assault with a weapon, obstruction and obstruction charges in Mosley’s death.

Cyndia E. Pimentel, 38, of Paulsboro, is charged with third-degree obstructing an investigation and fourth-degree obstruction and tampering with evidence.

While defending the change of venue, defense attorneys raised many issues.

Defense attorneys argued that the slain detective had close ties to the local law enforcement community and worked closely with Cumberland County judges and court staff, creating the appearance of a potential conflict.

They also noted that a Superior Court judge had been appointed to the bench in Cumberland County. He spoke at Mosley’s funeral. That judge recused himself from all hearings in Mosley’s case.

Additionally, defense attorneys argued that Cape May County First Deputy Prosecutor Saverio Carroccia, the prosecutor who handled all five cases, should be replaced because he previously worked for the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office at the same time as Mosley.

Because Mosley works in the Cumberland office, the Cape May Prosecutor’s Office was assigned to handle the prosecution of the case.

Defense attorneys asked for the case to be moved to Atlantic County, which they said has similar racial demographics as Cumberland County.

Cumberland County’s population is 43% white, 34% Hispanic, 16% Black, and 2% Asian. One of the defense lawyers wrote in his motion:. Atlantic County’s population is 54% white, 20% Hispanic, 12% black, and 8% Asian.

In a brief filed last week, Carroccia said the defense arguments were misplaced, saying existing change-of-venue case law involved perceived biases among potential jurors, not members of the judiciary or court staff. However, prosecutors later withdrew their arguments against moving the case to another district.

Carroccia also denied having any conflict of interest in the case. He said he worked as a senior trial attorney for the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office from 2012 to 2017, but never worked in the same unit or division as Mosley and never worked on a case with him.

The defendants, their attorneys, Carroccia and the judge met late Friday afternoon to resolve the venue issue; some appeared in the Cumberland County courtroom and others participated via video.

Carroccia announced that the state would now agree to a change of venue, but did not make any statement regarding the change in the prosecutor’s office’s stance on the issue.

However, he said that the state would still oppose efforts to remove him from the prosecutor’s office in the case.

Telsley said the decision on whether Carroccia will remain a prosecutor in the case will be left to the Atlantic County judge who will hear the case.

Four murder suspects remain behind bars awaiting detention hearings that will determine whether they will remain in jail pending trial.

A judge recently ordered Pimentel to be released from jail pretrial.