Mom, Daughter Shot To Death, Man Charged For Headbutting Girl: NJ Weekend

NEW JERSEY — A mother and her daughter were shot to death in their home and a fire destroyed homes close to the beach in Belmar.

Here's what made headlines over the weekend in the Garden State:

Mom, Teen Daughter Shot To Death

A mother and her 13-year-old daughter were found shot to death in a Trenton home Saturday morning, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said.

The prosecutor's office on Sunday afternoon identified the woman as Malika Whiting and the young teen as Jairah Biggs.

Officers found the 13-year-old girl in a third-floor bedroom of the house with a gunshot wound and the mother, 40, in the stairway leading to the third floor.

Read More Here: Mother, Teen Daughter Shot To Death In NJ Home

Fire Destroys Homes In Belmar

Several homes were destroyed in a fire on Sunday morning in Belmar. Around 6:05 a.m. Belmar Fire Department was dispatched to 308 13th Avenue for a reported porch fire with extension, the fire department said.

Shortly after, Belmar Police confirmed that there was an active fire on the “A” side of the structure. According to NJ.com one resident was injured, one firefighter suffered burns to his neck and another suffered an injury to the neck.

More than a dozen fire companies responded to battle blaze

The incident is currently under investigation by the Belmar Fire Bureau and the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office.

Shoplifter Threatens To Shoot Pharmacy Employees

A shoplifter threatened to shoot employees of a pharmacy during shoplifting, Wall Police said.

On Saturday one suspect entered the Walgreens on Highway 35 and took multiple items valued at $477. When confronted by store employees, the person threatened to shoot them while leaving the store with the stolen items, police said.

The subject then fled in a vehicle with another individual.

During a traffic stop, Jolene Anderson, 35, of Neptune, and Arthur Edwards-El, 62, of East Brunswick, were placed under arrest. No firearm was found in the vehicle, police said.

Anderson was charged with robbery, shoplifting, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Anderson was processed and taken to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.

Edwards-El was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, receiving stolen property, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Edwards-El was processed and taken to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution.

Hunterdon County Native Killed In Plane Crash

A Hunterdon County native and MIT graduate was among six people killed in a plane crash in upstate New York on Saturday.

James Santoro, who grew up in Tewksbury, was on board the flight with his girlfriend Karenna Groff.

The crash happened around noon on April 12 when a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 with tail number N635TA, crashed 10 miles from the Columbia County airport in New York.

Read More Here: NJ Native Among 6 Killed In New York Plane Crash

Man Charged For Headbutting Girl At Mall

A 49-year-old Palisades Park man was charged with assault on Friday after headbutting a child and screaming at her at a local mall, police said.

David Cohen, 49, was charged with simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child, Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti said on Sunday.

Read More Here: Man Headbutted Child, Struck Her In Face At Mall In Bergen County, Police Say

Prosecutor Says Freed NJ Convict Is No Victim

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said they strongly objected to Gov. Phil Murphy's decision to commute the sentence of Paige Pfefferle who stabbed her 21-year-old boyfriend to death in the kitchen of her family's Audubon Park home on Sept. 4, 2010.

Gov. Phil Murphy granted a commutation last week in the prison sentence of Pfefferle, who was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of her high school boyfriend. But advocates say she was defending herself against abuse as a teen.

Pfefferle, now 34, was sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole. She was freed from Edna Mahan Correctional Facility on Thursday.

But in a statement obtained by New Jersey 101.5, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office warn that Pfefferle's "repeated lies" throughout her appeals process show she is not rehabilitated.

"Clearly, the defendant was not a suitable candidate for clemency or commutation. She is a violent criminal, who not only murdered a 21-year-old young man, but she attempted to attack his good character to cover up her heinous act, which she continues to do. Paige Pfefferle was not a battered woman – she was the batterer," prosecutors said.

"Pfefferle’s statement upon her release from prison is truly offensive to actual victims of domestic violence. Her repeated lies from the night of the murder throughout both her appeal and post-conviction processes, demonstrate that she has not been rehabilitated. She refuses to take responsibility for her violent actions and asserts repeated lies to cover them up," prosecutors said.

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