A suspect in killing of a New shirt whose mother? The body was discovered in the trunk of her car after being beaten to death agreed to testify against her fiance and his family after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Joelle Martucci24 years old, testified in a Passaic . County Court Hearing on friday that her fiancé Justin Fisher29 years old and his family conspired to hide the body of Stephanie DeJesus.
During a live stream of that court hearing, Martucci said she went to the home she shared with Fisher and their young son on February 23 to find DeJesus’ body on the floor “stained with blood.”
Martucci testified that Fisher’s parents, Ali Gibson and Clo Fisherand his brother Ali Fisher, came home right after she worked that night. The three then spent an hour planning the removal of DeJesus’ body while also “panic,” Martucci claimed.
The group decided to put DeJesus’ body in the trunk of her car, Martucci testified. She said they did this using boxes she bought for an upcoming move.
Martucci did not provide information on who killed DeJesus or how she died, although in court on Friday, Martucci revealed that Martucci was a friend of the victim.
As a result of this new information, Clo Fisher and Ali Fisher were arrested last week. Meanwhile, prosecutors dropped the first-degree murder and first-degree murder charges that were initially filed against Gibson.
The Passaic . County Prosecutor’s Office is currently charging those three suspects with:
- Desecration of Human Remains, second level;
- Obstruction of prosecution, third degree;
- Forged evidence, fourth degree;
- Obstacle law, fourth degree.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office will also recommend that Martucci receive a five-year suspended sentence for the same offences.
Martucci, who has no criminal record or was previously arrested in the state according to New Jersey public records, will have to testify against the family if any of the four cases go to trial.
DeJesus’ body was discovered by officers with Paterson Police Department Responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle on February 25, two days after Martucci announced that they had dumped her body.
The victim’s injuries were so severe that police initially thought she had been shot. A medical examiner later determined impact trauma to be the cause of both DeJesus’ injuries and her death.
Martucci turned himself in to the police within days and has cooperated since the start of the investigation.
She initially said she never saw any blood when she got to the apartment that night, but in court on Friday, she said she was initially afraid to tell the truth. .
“Justin told me that if I wanted to see our son again, I needed to cooperate and help the family,” she told the court.
That’s how Martucci claims Fisher made her follow his father and pick him up after he dumped DeJesus’ car with its body in the trunk,
In court, Martucci also admitted that she taped the homeowner’s surveillance camera to prevent the group of people disposing of DeJesus’ body.
Justin Fisher is still charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
His parents and brother also face prison if found guilty of their crimes.
Infringement on people in the second degree, the minimum sentence from 5 years to 10 years in prison; obstruct prosecution in the third degree three to five years behind bars; and forgery of evidence and obstruction of the law in the 4th degree are punishable by up to 18 months in prison.
The state has filed a request for pretrial detention for all three family members. If any of the four are released, prosecutors asked Friday that they not have contact with Martucci and be ordered to wear surveillance equipment.
Follow her obituaryDeJesus, who worked as a cardiovascular technician, is survived by his 16-year-old son, parents, two sisters and a brother.
There is no word yet on a motive in the case.
Attorneys for Martucci and Justin Fisher did not respond to requests for comment.