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Now they want the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office investigated.
Someone "should shed light on the lack of accountability the prosecutor's office takes for letting killers walk free in our community," said Sandra Williams.
Williams was the one who'd called police and later found the body of her friend, 38-year-old single mom Stephanie DeJesus of Paterson, in the victims's Lincoln MKZ at the intersection of James Street and Ryerson Avenue on Feb. 25, 2022 following an intense two-day search.
DeJesus, who worked as a medical technician, had been beaten with a hammer and shot in a Totowa apartment, then stuffed into her own car and driven to a Silk City streetcorner, Passaic County prosecutors said at the time.
The killing was a family affair, they said.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes's office initially filed murder charges against Totowa residents Justin Fischer, his fiance, Joelle Martucci, and his father, Ali Gibson.
Lesser charges were brought against Fisher's mother, Clo, and his brother, Ali.
Martucci, who was the first to be arrested, rolled on the others and quickly cut a deal that kept her out of prison.
SEE: Accused Killer's Mom, Brother Charged, GF To Testify In Disposal Of Paterson Woman's Body
Like Fisher, Gibson agreed to cooperate. Valdes, in turn, signed off dramatically downgrading murder and conspiracy counts against both of them.
The prosecutor's office ended up charging both Gibson and Martucci with desecration of human remains, obstruction, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution -- essentially the same lesser counts originally filed against Clo and Ali Fisher.
The group individually confessed their roles in cleaning up the murder scene and dumping DeJesus's body. No one identified a killer.
Ali Gibson got five years. Martucci, meanwhile, kept her freedom, as did Clo Fisher, who got probation. Ali Fisher was cleared.
That left Justin Fisher as the only defendant charged with murder.
The cruelest blow for the victim's family and friends followed.
Jury selection for Justin Fisher's trial had already begun in Paterson when Superior Court Judge Justine A. Niccollai tossed out critical FBI-obtained blood evidence -- and with it the case Passaic County assistant prosecutors had brought to court.
The forensic bureau agent had used luminol, an organic compound that creates a glow when mixed with hemoglobin.
Luminol entered the public consciousness with "Dexter" and other crime shows and movies. It's been deemed unreliable, however, for a number of reasons.
Following Niccollai's ruling, Passaic County prosecutors were only able to prove that DeJesus was seen upset on security video at a local pharmacy after receiving a text from Fisher. She went to his apartment, then her body was later carried out, they said.
It didn't take long for Valdes to OK a plea offer. It seemingly took even less time for Fisher to accept.
Justin Fisher, now 31, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Feb. 15, to desecration of human remains and hindering apprehension, telling the judge that he, his parents and Martucci helped him carry DeJesus's body from his apartment to her car.
The question of who killed the defenseless woman never was raised because the murder charge against him had been dropped.
Niccollai accepted the plea, leaving no one to answer for the brutal slaying of Stephanie DeJesus, no closure for her teenage son, her family or her friends -- many of whom came to court Thursday wearing t-shirts that read: "Cardinals appear when angels are near."
DeJesus's friend, Sandra Williams, said they were told that Fisher took the deal after prosecutors agreed to a seven-year prison term.
Under the No Early Release Act, he would have to serve 85% -- a shade under six years.
Subtract the two years Fisher spent in jail since his arrest and you could see him leave state prison a free man in a little over three years.
DeJesus’s stepfather, Israel Vargas, said no one from Valdes's office has explained why they cut such a favorable deal for Fisher.
They had Martucci, after all. She avoid prison time by agreeing to testify, then never did.
Also: Why was the FBI involved in a local murder? At one point the Secret Service had also come around, reliable sources told Daily Voice at the time.
“After two years, haven’t [we] suffered enough?” Vargas said following Thursday's plea hearing. "There’s other evidence in this case. Why are they not going forward?”
Valdes hasn't publicly addressed it, either.
"I believe the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office is not capable of doing their jobs," said Williams -- the person who found he friend's car, saw the body inside and called police. "They should be investigated and replaced by more qualified individuals."
DeJesus's family and friends intend to return for the sentencing, which the judge scheduled sentencing for April 9.
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