Mullica Murder Charge Opposed

MAYS LANDING— A murder indictment should be dismissed for good after the lead investigator misrepresented some of the facts to the grand jury, a defense attorney argued Tuesday.

Michael Castro, 33, is accused of fatally shooting John Kingsbury, 77, during an alleged robbery attempt inside the man's Mullica Township home Feb. 5, 2012. Castro has been jailed since his arrest in April 2013.

But his attorney, Douglas Cody, argues Castro is not the killer — and that the grand jury who indicted him last July heard "false

and misleading testimony" from Sgt. Michael Mattioli, then working in the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit.

That includes telling jurors that Castro was the only one with access to the home of Camden County Sheriff's Officer Lauren Kohl, whose personal weapon was used to kill Kingsbury.

"She told you there were other people in her house," Cody prompted Mattioli, who agreed. "This is about access to the murder weapon. That's pretty important stuff, right?"

An unnamed woman who was supposed to come to the home to drop off a dog also had access. And, in text messages Kohl sent while looking for the gun, she mentioned a sliding glass door that was open.
Entire article at
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/eedition/news/mullica-murder-charge-opposed/article_241e88e1-7815-57b7-bfa4-1d98ffdf684d.html

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http://gadfly01.blogspot.com/2013/04/mullica-2012-murder-suspect-charged.html