Prosecutor: 32-Year-Old Man Convicted of Ex-Girlfriend’s 2022 Murder

A 32-year-old man has been convicted of the 2022 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Friday.

Following a trial that began early last week before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley, a jury deliberated over two days before finding Jordan J. Vilcatoma-Correjo, of Edison, guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree disturbing human remains in connection with the death of 26-year-old Sonia Gonzalez, also of Edison, in Atlantic Highlands.

The case background …

Shortly before 7:45 a.m. on June 10, 2022, Atlantic Highlands police responding to a call for service, originating from near the area of Asbury Avenue between Navesink and Grand avenues, found a Honda Accord at that location. Gonzalez’s body was found in the vehicle’s back seat. She was covered in garbage bags, missing an eye, and there were signs that she had been strangled and subject to blunt-force trauma. Vilcatoma-Correjo was also found at the scene and taken into custody.

An investigation by members of the MCPO, the Atlantic Highlands Police Department, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Edison Police Department resulted in Vilcatoma-Correjo being charged with her murder. He was then indicted in September of 2022.

Leveraging evidence showing that Gonzalez had changed her phone number and daily routine to avoid contact with Vilcatoma-Correjo after breaking up with him, Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutors Caitlin J. Sidley and Danielle Zanzuccki successfully disproved the defense’s argument of passion provocation, showing that the defendant had become increasingly obsessive, aggressive, and threatening during the days leading up to their fatal final confrontation.

Sentencing in the case has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16 before Judge O’Malley.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office