Ex-Cop Found Guilty Of Murdering His Wife In Morris Co.: Reports

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ —A former Newark police officer was found guilty of fatally shooting his estranged wife and attempting to kill her boyfriend during a bloody altercation at the couple's former Jefferson home, according to multiple reports.

Lt. John Formisano, a 24-year veteran of the Newark Police Department, was initially charged in 2019, after being accused of murdering his 37-year-old wife, Christie Solaro-Formisano.

Solaro-Formisano was discovered dead on July 14, 2019, following a report of shots fired in their home in Jefferson. Formisano was apprehended during a traffic stop in Livingston, with the alleged murder weapon in his car, police said.

Formisano was found guilty of the attempted murder of Solaro-Formisano's boyfriend, Timothy Simonson, and the murder of Solaro-Formisano by a 12-member jury in state Superior Court in Morristown on Monday, according to the Daily Record.

"It has been more than three years since the tragic murder of Christie Solaro-Formisano — a beloved mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend to many. Today’s verdict does not change the fact that Christie’s two young children will grow up without their loving mother, which will significantly impact them for the rest of their lives," Solaro-Formisano’s family said in a statement.

Read more: Cop Admits Killing Estranged Wife In Video, Morris Co. Prosecutor Says

Formisano previously stated that he did remember shooting Formisano, who at the time of her death was also known as Christie Solaro. According to the probable cause affidavit Patch obtained, he also remembered shooting her boyfriend, 40-year-old Timothy Simonson, but he was in a "blacked out state."

Formisano is being kept in Morris County jail, where he will remain until his sentencing.

"We are supportive of the decision reached today at the Morris County Courthouse that the person responsible for this senseless tragedy, who has inflicted so much pain and harm not just on Christie, but also on her two children, her extended family, her neighbors, and her friends, will be held fully accountable for his intentional criminal actions. We are grateful to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the members of the jury for treating this case with the attention it deserved," Solaro-Formisano’s family said.

The family hopes to continue anti-domestic violence work as a way to honor Solaro-Formisano’s memory, a family spokesperson said.

"We seek to bring attention to this issue so that no one else experiences what Christie did on the horrific night of July 14, 2019. No one deserves to live in constant fear for themselves and their young children," Solaro-Formisano’s family said.

This article has been updated to include a statement from Solaro-Formisano’s family.