The trial began for a Dover, NJ man accused of beating a man to death outside a bar.
According to authorities, the 29-year-old defendant got into an altercation inside Mero’s Lounge. At the same time, a bouncer ejected the 26-year-old victim from the establishment.
Prosecutors said that the defendant admitted to investigators that he “hit the guy in the stomach” with a metal pole. The defendant allegedly hit the victim because the victim had touched the defendant’s wife on the rear end.
During opening arguments in Morris County Superior Court in Morristown, NJ, the prosecutor told jurors that the defendant deliberately hit the victim with the metal pole. Defense counsel countered that the defendant did not cause the victim’s death because the bouncer at the bar actually hit the defendant first.
The bouncer faces charges of aggravated assault and endangering an injured victim. However, his trial will occur at a later date.
According to N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3, homicide is the most serious criminal offense in New Jersey.If the defendant in the current trial is convicted of first degree murder, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
To learn more, read the NJ.com article entitled “Dover Man Goes to Trial in Beating Death Outside Bar in 2011.”
