Share this @internewscast.com
Stephanie DeJesus Murder

Joelle Martucci (center) has agreed to a plea deal that will require her to testify against Ali Fisher (top left), Clo Fisher (bottom left), fiance Justin Fisher (bottom right), and Ali Gibson (top right).

A suspect in the murder of a New Jersey mother whose body was discovered in the trunk of her car after being bludgeoned to death has agreed to testify against her fiancé and his family after striking a plea deal with prosecutors.

Joelle Martucci, 24, testified during a Passaic County Court hearing on Friday that her fiancé Justin Fisher, 29, and his family conspired to hide the body of Stephanie DeJesus.

During the livestream of that court appearance, Martucci said that she arrived at the home she shares with Fisher and their young son on Feb. 23 to find DeJesus’ body on the floor “covered in blood.”

Martucci testified that Fisher’s parents, Ali Gibson and Clo Fisher, and his brother Ali Fisher, arrived at the home shortly after she did that night. The three then spent an hour devising a plan to get rid of DeJesus’ body while also “freaking out,” claimed Martucci.

The group decided to put DeJesus’ body in the trunk of her car, testified Martucci. She said they did this by using the boxes she had bought for an upcoming move.

Martucci provided no information about who killed DeJesus or how she died, though it was revealed in court on Friday that Martucci was a friend of the victim.

As a result of this new information, Clo Fisher and Ali Fisher were arrested last week. Prosecutors meanwhile dropped the charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder that were initially filed against Gibson.

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office is now charging those three suspects with:

  • Desecration of Human Remains, second degree;
  • Hindering Prosecution, third-degree;
  • Tampering with Evidence, fourth degree;
  • Obstructing Law, fourth degree.

The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office will also suggest that Martucci get five years probation for those same charges.

Martucci, who has no criminal record or prior arrests in the state according to New Jersey public records, will have to testify against the family should any of the four cases go to trial.

DeJesus’ body was discovered by officers with the Paterson Police Department responding to a suspicious vehicle report on Feb. 25, two days after Martucci claims they disposed of her body.

The victim’s injuries were so severe that officers initially thought she had been shot to death. A medical examiner later determined blunt force trauma to be the cause of both DeJesus’s injuries and her death.

She was just 38 years old.

stephanie dejesus

The severely beaten body of Stephanie DeJesus (above) was found in the trunk of her car in New Jersey.

Martucci turned herself in to police within days and has been cooperative since the start of the investigation.

She initially claimed that she never saw any blood when she got to the apartment that night, but in court Friday she said she was afraid to tell the truth at first.

“Justin told me that if I ever wanted to see our son again, I needed to cooperate and help the family,” she said in court.

That was how Martucci claims Fisher got her to follow his father and pick him up after as he disposed of DeJesus’ car with the body in the trunk,

In court, Martucci also admitted that she put tape over her landlord’s surveillance camera so it would not capture the group removing DeJesus’ body.

Justin Fisher is still charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

His parents and brother also face prison time if convicted of their crimes.

Desecration of human remains the second degree has minimum sentencing of five years to 10 years in prison; hindering prosecution in the third degree ranges from three to five years behind bars; and tampering with evidence and obstructing law in the fourth degree both carry a term of up to 18 months imprisonment.

The state has filed motions for pretrial detention for all three family members. Should any of the four be released, prosecutors requested Friday that they have no contact with Martucci and be ordered to wear a monitoring device.

According to her obituary, DeJesus, who worked as a cardiovascular technician, is survived by her 16-year-old son, parents, two sisters, and a brother.

There is still no word on a motive in the case.

Lawyers for Martucci and Justin Fisher did not respond to requests for comment.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Source: This post first appeared on

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Georgia Woman Faces DUI Charges After Husband Falls from Golf Cart and Dies

A woman from Georgia has been charged with driving under the influence…

Tragic Hit-and-Run at Fireworks Show Claims Life of 3-Year-Old Boy

Background: The location of the accident at Lyndon Street and Merriman Road…

Elderly Florida Woman, 80, Accused of Slapping Fellow Driver

Inset: Linda Frenier (Orange County Jail). Background: A Walmart in Apopka, Fla.…

‘Arson Attack and Protest in Melbourne Condemned by Jewish Leaders as ‘Appalling Crimes”

Leaders of the Jewish community have called for action after separate attacks…

Gainesville Resident Accused of Assaulting 14-Year-Old Runaway

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 26-year-old named McNish Mathis Tuzon Hampton…

Deputies Report Woman Accused of Killing Roommate and Attempting to Poison Neighbors

Context: Kore Bommeli Adams in a court appearance in Dane County, Wisconsin…

Intoxicated Driver in Michigan Hits Family Departing Festival, Resulting in the Death of a 3-Year-Old and Injuries to Twin Sister: Police Report

A woman from Michigan, who was driving on a suspended license, reportedly…

Prisoner Accused of Fatally Shooting Guard with Guard’s Gun at Clinic

Left: Kelvin Simmons (Buncombe County Sheriff”s Office) Right: Francisco Flattes (Cherokee County…

Mothers Call for Halt on Enforcement of Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order

President Donald Trump addresses a joint press conference with Elon Musk in…

Teen Arrested in Connection with Fatal Stabbing of Western Australia Father

Tawhai Walker Loughlin turned 18 just two months ago but could now…

Teen Tried as Adult in Failed Marijuana Robbery That Ended in Murder

A 16-year-old boy from Indiana is facing adult charges of murder following…

Philadelphia Bar Shooting: 2 Critically Injured, 6 Others Hurt

Eight people were injured during a mass shooting at a bar in…