Ever read the news of the day and come across something so sick, twisted, and disturbing that it makes you wonder why God hasn't just said, "enough is enough" and obliterated us with a giant asteroid like the dinosaurs? Well if you haven't, I'm about to give you a story that will check that off your to-do list.
According to a new report from the New York Post, a man from New Jersey has just been charged with murdering his former high school classmate, a 27-year-old woman, by stabbing her a total of 37 times while following the step-by-step directions he laid out for himself in a written manifesto. It seems there is no shortage of psychopaths in the world. We can argue all day and all night about what drives a person to do something so awful, but the bottom line is that evil is a real thing and the soul of humanity has been corrupted ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit of the one tree they weren't supposed to take food from.
David Shroitman, 27, of Somerville, was arrested Monday on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution in the death of Maryrose Fealey, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Fealey, a 2018 graduate of Rutgers Business School, had worked as a federal employee for the Naval Surface Warfare Center before taking a break “to focus on her life’s mission” as an advocate for people addicted to drugs, according to her obituary.
Ian Bockus, a member of a nonprofit organization called Not An Easy Fix, posted on Facebook, “She was always extremely supportive and had a big smile whenever she entered a room."
“My friend group and I have dealt with a lot of loss over the years but never anything like this. It doesn’t make sense and it isn’t right but it’s times like this where we need to come together as a family and a community and offer our support," he continued.
The woman's biography described her as being "many things – a visual artist, anti-drug activist, entrepreneur, champion of the underdog, philanthropist, encourager, writer, and logistician.” It also said she was "committed to her vision and efforts to empower youth and those battling addiction.”
Sounds like a lovely young woman, doesn't she? And yet, some perverse and demented person thought the world didn't need someone like that in it and sought to erase her life, all that she was and ever would be, out of existence. It's a terrible loss for society. How many people could she have helped? How many people who need her kind of help now will not receive it? You see, what Shroitman doesn't understand is that he didn't just destroy Fealey's life, but her family's and the lives of those she might have been able to pull out of the muck and mire of addiction. Actions have consequences.
The victim founded the nonprofit 4TheYoungerMe (4TYM) and was involved with Empower Somerset, in addition to Not An Easy Fix, it said.
She believed that "substance abuse does not define the person" and that "a toxic environment does not define the child’s future," the obituary stated.
Both Shroitman and Fealey graduated from Somerville High School back in 2014.
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A 911 call was made about an unresponsive woman who was discovered outside a residential complex on North Bridge Street in Somerville. Officials stated Fealey was suffering from multiple stab wounds. Life-saving efforts administered at the scene failed to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fealey was stabbed about 37 times after arriving home from a business in Bridgewater, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Patch.com. A relative told cops that her front passenger door was open and her belongings were strewn across the front yard.
On Feb. 1, police obtained dash cam video showing a man wearing a gray sweatshirt, a black face gaiter and thick-cushioned sneakers standing near Fealey’s home around 9 p.m. the night she was killed, according to the affidavit.
The next day, detectives attempted to have a chat with Shroitman at a business located in Bridgewater, but he refused to cooperate. The authorities stated they saw a white garbage bag covering the driver seat of his vehicle, a Toyota Camry, along with a black gaiter and some duct tape.
On Sunday, officials investigating the case found surveillance footage from a home located on East Cliff Street that shows a man matching Shroitman's description running at 9 p.m. on the night the homicide was committed.
The footage also showed the suspect's car.
When police finally showed up to nab him, they caught Shroitman cleaning the inside of the car while sporting a pair of latex gloves. This, of course, is bad optics for an innocent man. Also, there was an odor of bleach coming from a puddle of liquid on the driver's side of the door. Police also found a bloody glove on East Cliff Street. It's almost like the guy wasn't really trying too hard to get away with his crime. It makes you wonder if he subconsciously wanted to get caught.
When detectives showed up with a search warrant at Shroitman's house, they soon discovered other bleach containers and the manifesto that laid out, step-by-step, how he was going to kill Fealey.
What everyone wants to know is why he would have done something like this. An official motive for the crime has yet to be released or confirmed by the police, though they did state the two individuals knew each other.
What really bakes the noodle in this case is that earlier this week, Shroitman pleaded not guilty to murdering Fealey, despite the discovery of all the evidence, including the manifesto. He's being represented by public defender Emma Pallarino.
Shroitman is scheduled to have a detention hearing on Friday before Superior Court Judge Jonathan Romankow.
Say a prayer for the family of the victim in this case. It's going to take a long time before this wound even begins to heal.
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