Man Charged In Wife's Stabbing Death In Bergen County: Prosecutors (UPDATED)

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Lodi man has been charged with first-degree murder after his wife was stabbed to death Thursday night at their home.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Joel Cinco, 48, of Westervelt Place in Lodi, has been charged with murder, burglary, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

On Thursday at approximately 9:32 p.m., the Lodi Police Department received a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a home on Westervelt Place, a residential street.

Police found Janet Cinco, 44, with stab wounds. She was transported to the Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Reports have said that Cinco had a history of domestic violence. He is being held in Bergen County Jail, according to his jail record.

Domestic Violence And Bergen County

Dr. Julye Myner, the executive director of Center for Hope and Safety in New Jersey, had said last year, "In Bergen County, there are approximately 3,000 reports of DV per year. However, over the past 10 years, Center for Hope and Safety has responded to an average of close to 5,000 calls per year to our crisis hotline, with over 6,000 calls in 2020. Many are silently suffering in abusive homes because they are scared to leave or don't know where to turn for help."

The national Domestic Violence hotline can be reached at this website via chat, as well as by text, email, or phone, 1-800-799-SAFE. In an emergency, call 911. And in New Jersey, a list of hotlines and organizations by county can be found here.

An average of 2-3 women are killed in domestic violence incidents across the country each day, according to law enforcement and other statistics. The number may actually be higher — read more about that here.