Morris County jury finds man guilty of murder, attempted murder
MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – A jury has found John Formisano, 52, formerly of Jefferson Township guilty on all charges related to a fatal shooting that occurred on July 14, 2019 in Jefferson Township, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on October 3 following an eight day trial. Formisano was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree official misconduct, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution, Carroll said.
A sentencing date will be set by the court and Formisano will remain in custody until that time, Carroll said.
On July 14, 2019, at around 11:21p.m., police responded to 1 Mirror Place for 9-1-1 calls of shots fired. Upon arrival, first responding officers located 37-year-old Christie Formisano’s body lying on the front porch steps of 5 Mirror Place, Carroll said.
Timothy Simonson, 40, was located with multiple gunshot wounds inside the residence of 1 Mirror Place. Two minor children were also located inside the residence, Carroll said.
On July 15, 2019, at around 2:00 a.m., Formisano was located in Livingston and was taken into custody by law enforcement. The firearm used by Formisano was recovered in the trunk of the car he was driving, Carroll said.
Formisano, an Acting Lieutenant with the Newark Police Department, was off-duty at the time of the incident, Carroll said.