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Jeremy Cruz, 53, was sentenced to 50 years in state prison, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said in a news release on Friday, Sept. 13. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday, Apr. 24.
Investigators said a driver saw 51-year-old Dawn Cruz with severe injuries on Colonial Avenue near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. Ocean Township police found her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
At around the same time, Jeremy Cruz turned himself in to the Berkeley Township Police Department. He was charged with first-degree murder that day and indicted by a grand jury in January 2023.
Jeremy Cruz's lawyers argued that he was intoxicated but prosecutors disputed that as an excuse for Dawn Cruz's killing.
"This conviction happened to coincide with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and it’s difficult to conceive of a crime more senseless, or a victim more deserving of justice, than a person killed by their spouse over nothing more than a simple argument," Santiago said in an April statement. "We sincerely thank the jury for their service in this matter and hope that the verdict delivers some small measure of solace to Dawn’s friends, family, and loved ones."
Jeremy Cruz must serve at least 42-and-a-half years before he's eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act.
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