Three people have been arrested and charged with murder in the killing of a Paterson, New Jersey woman found beaten to death last week in the trunk of a vehicle, authorities said.
The body of 38-year-old Stephanie DeJesus was found about 8 p.m. last Friday after police received a report of a suspicious vehicle parked at James Street and Ryerson Avenue in Paterson, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.
Detectives first believed DeJesus had died of a gunshot wound, but a medical examiner determined at autopsy that DeJesus died of “blunt-force trauma,” Valdes said.
29-year-old Justin Fisher, 51-year-old Ali Gibson, and 24-year-old Joelle Martucci have been arrested in her killing.
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Martucci was arrested Monday at Paterson police headquarters. Fisher and Gibson were arrested Wednesday. All three were charged with first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, the prosecutor said.
They were held Thursday at the Passaic County Jail to await a detention hearing.
DeJesus worked as a cardiovascular technician for St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, according to her obituary. Visitation and services are planned for Friday and Saturday at Shook Funeral Home in Clifton.
The prosecutor’s office, along with investigators from the Paterson and Totowa police departments investigated the crime.
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