Posted on 07/29/2002 12:25:52 PM PDT by NYer
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) _ A couple charged with beating their baby to death then burning the body in a fireplace are to return to Burlington County to face murder charges this week, authorities said.
Jessica Morgan and Kevin Abrahams were arrested July 16 in Kissimmee, Fla. Both are charged with murder. They did not fight extradition to New Jersey. Officials tracked them to Florida about a month after they left New Jersey. The charred remains of their infant son Sage Taylor Abrahams-Morgan, were found June 21 in the Burlington City home where the couple had lived.
Burlington County authorities said Abrahams beat the child, who would have turned 1 in August, while Morgan did nothing before leaving the boy in his crib to die. The couple then burned the body in the fireplace of the home where friend Asa Paris had let them stay rent-free, officials said. Burned remains were found in a box in a closet of the couple's bedroom. Officials say the boy was most likely killed during April.
Morgan, 20, was to be flown back Monday night and taken to the Burlington County women's jail, said Burlington County First Assistant Prosecutor Raymond E. Milavsky. The former aspiring dancer from Toms River is being held on $350,000 bail. She was scheduled to make her first court appearance Tuesday.
Abrahams, 25, was to be brought back Tuesday with a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday. His bail was set at $750,000. Citing security concerns, Burlington County First Assistant Prosecutor Raymond E. Milavsky would not say exactly when the suspects would be returned _ or whether they would be flown on a commercial or charter plane.
Prosecutors in Florida dropped drug charges against the couple. The next legal step for the prosecutor's office is presenting the case to a Burlington County grand jury. Milavsky said he expects to do that in the fall.
Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi said the two could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted, but he said he has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty against one or both.
Another woman, Barbara Johnson, 25, of Burlington City, is facing charges that she helped the couple avoid apprehension. She traveled with them to Florida.
AP-ES-07-29-02 1406EDT
These f**kers are going to get to burn forever.
(Not that drugs had anything to do with this. We want them legalized, you know.) </sarcasm>
Unfortunately in NJ, she'll probably cop to life or less to rat on him. He may get the DP if NJ has it. In any event, it will be far less than they merit.
Good post.
Not a chance. The individual killed was a baby. In the Blue Zone, that barely counts as killing at all. Perhaps the couple could do a few hours of community service work, like counseling new parents. Isn't that what happened to those charming kids from Delaware who bashed their baby to death on the motel-room furniture?
Yep. I'm with you. You bring the rope and I'll bring the tar. I'm sure we wouldn't have to look too far to find a fellow FReeper willing to bring the feathers. Shame I don't have my feather pillows anymore...but I DO have a down quilt...
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