2004
Media Releases:
CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA INFORMATION
April 14, 2004
Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi reported that a jury
today found David Amodio, M/40, guilty in connection with the deaths
of Lisa Pimentel, F/27, and her son, Kollin, M/2, on Oct. 29, 2000,
in Gloucester Township, N.J.
Amodio faces up to life in New Jersey State Prison when he is sentenced
on June 4, 2004, by Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Brown Jr. Based
on the verdict, there will be no death penalty phase.
The jury, which deliberated for about 30 hours over four days, found
Amodio guilty of:
-
Felony Murder and Aggravated Manslaughter in the death of Kollin
Pimentel,
- Passion-Provocation
Manslaughter in the death of Lisa Pimentel,
- Arson,
- Hindering
Apprehension or Prosecution, and
- Contempt
of Court for violating a restraining order that barred him from
contact with Lisa Pimentel.
"We
prosecuted this defendant for two Capital Murders," Sarubbi said.
"While the verdict is not all that we and the victims' families
had hoped for, the jury clearly found David Amodio responsible for
the criminal homicides of these two victims. Under New Jersey law,
the defendant will serve a minimum of 30 years without parole eligibility."
Firefighters responded to the defendant's home on Diana Drive in
the Sicklerville section of Gloucester Township at approximately
12:45 a.m. and found the structure engulfed in flames and the defendant
just outside the home. They later discovered the victims' charred
bodies in the home's kitchen.
The Camden County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Lisa
Pimentel died as a result of head injuries from blunt trauma and
that she had been dead before the fire. A hammer was found under
her body. Kollin Pimentel died of smoke inhalation and thermal burns,
an autopsy concluded.
The Camden County Fire Marshal's Office found evidence that gasoline
had been used as an accelerant and ruled the fire arson.
Sarubbi praised the "exemplary efforts" of Assistant Prosecutor
Gregory Smith, who presented the State's case to the jury, Sgt.
Aida Marcial, the lead investigator, and Steven Settles, the Crime
Scene Unit investigator on the case. He also thanked the entire
Homicide Unit within the Prosecutor's Office for their teamwork,
the Victim-Witness Unit for assisting and supporting the victims'
loved ones, and Gloucester Township Police Chief John Stollsteimer
and his department for their efforts in the investigation and prosecution.
In addition, Sarubbi praised and thanked Deputy Chief Camden County
Fire Marshal Gene Dannenfelser, who provided key testimony about
the fire scene and evidence collected there, and his agency.
"There was a tremendous amount of physical evidence in this case,
and it had to be handled correctly right from the outset of the
investigation. That evidence then had to be pieced together with
circumstantial evidence to determine what happened inside the home.
Then, the significance of all that evidence had to be made clear
to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt.
"This verdict is a tribute to the work of all the law enforcement
professionals who worked together, each performing his or her own
function with distinction."
|
