A 53-year-old man has been convicted of the 2022 murder of his wife by strangulation following an argument and leaving her body on the side of a road in Ocean Township, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Friday.

A jury returned a guilty verdict against Jeremy B. Cruz, of Forked River, following a trial before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O’Malley.

Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 14, before Judge O’Malley, at which time Cruz will face a term of up to life in state prison.  

“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,” Prosecutor Santiago said. “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.”

The case background …

Just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, a woman who appeared to have sustained severe injuries was observed by a concerned motorist on Colonial Avenue, near the intersection with Asbury Avenue in Ocean Township. Upon responding, Ocean Township police found the victim, identified as 51-year-old Dawn C. Cruz, who was pronounced dead at the scene.     

At about the same time, Jeremy Cruz turned himself in to authorities at Berkeley Township Police Department headquarters in Ocean County. A joint investigation by members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean Township Police Department, Asbury Park Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, and Berkeley Township Police Department led to a charge of first-degree Murder.

Cruz was indicted in January of 2023. At trial, which began last week, the state disproved the defendant’s intoxication defense, leading to the conviction.

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

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