A man is accused of covering up a 2011 murder and disposing of the body in Lincoln Park, New Jersey.
A different man, 24-year-old Carlos Rojas, was accused of killing his cousin with several hammer blows to the head. The homicide occurred in 2011.
Police found the victim’s body stuffed in the trunk of a car that had been abandoned in Lincoln Park. However, prosecutors believe that the murder occurred at the Fairview home garage owned by the defendant in this case.
During trial, Rojas claimed that the 48-year-old owner of the garage actually committed the murder after finding the victim stealing stereo equipment.
A jury recently found Rojas not guilty of murder; the jury opted instead to convict Rojas on the lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter.
Although authorities don’t believe that the garage owner committed the homicide, they do believe that he helped Rojas dispose of the victim’s body after the murder. According to prosecutors, the defendant drove a second car to Lincoln Park so that Rojas could get away after abandoning the car with the victim’s body.
As a result of his alleged involvement in the cover-up, the defendant faces charges for hindering apprehension and desecration of human remains. He has also been charged with endangering the welfare of a child because he allegedly left his 14-year-old son home alone on the day of the killing.
The defendant is currently incarcerated at the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown NJ while he awaits trial on the charges. His attorney recently filed a motion with the Morris County Superior Court; the defendant is asking for permission to have his son visit him in jail.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Man Accused of Helping Cover up Lincoln Park Murder Wants to See His Son.”
