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Ashton D. Barthelus, 26, of Carteret, stabbed Dan G. Milford Gelin, 27, of Elizabeth, at the correctional facility last week, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, said.
Gelin on Dec. 3 was rushed from the jail on the 300 block of Doremus Avenue to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9 a.m., officials said.
Barthelus was charged with first degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. No further details were released.
The homicide investigation remains active and ongoing. It is being handled by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force.
Barthelus was committed to the Union County Jail in 2020 for his role in a parking lot shooting death. Earlier this year, the Union County Jail closed and the inmates were transferred to the Essex County Jail.
It was not clear what Gelin had been convicted of.
The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the conduct of the correctional officers and other jail staff pursuant to AG Directive 2019-4, which implements the statutory requirement that the Attorney General’s Office conduct the investigation of any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
Calls will be kept confidential.
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