Opening Remarks Set to Begin in Trial of Middletown Man Accused of Murdering Wife

Opening remarks are set to begin Wednesday morning in the murder trial of Patrick Allen, who is accused of the 2011 strangulation death of his wife, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The opening remarks are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on September 24 in the courtroom of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge John T. Mullaney, Jr.

A grand jury decided today that Patrick Allen of Lincroft should stand trial for the murder of his wife, Kimberly Allen.

A grand jury indicted Allen, 45, of Middletown, in January 2013 with first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, third-degree hindering the apprehension of another, and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence.

On Nov. 18, 2011 around 11:45 a.m., Middletown police were called to the Allen home on West Front Street in Lincroft. There they found the victim, Kimberly Allen, 44, dead on the kitchen floor, with Patrick Allen on the scene.

An investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Middletown Township Police Department revealed that Allen and his wife were involved in a struggle that allegedly led to Allen striking his wife with a frying pan.

The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of death was homicidal violence, including asphyxia and blunt impact injuries to the head. As a result of the investigation, Allen was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife on that same day, on November 18.

To read the previous story of the arrest, go to: http://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/middletown-man-indicted-for-murder-of-his-wife#.VCHvYvldURc