MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker, and Jefferson Township Chief of Police Paul Castimore announce that John Formisano, 52, formerly of Jefferson Township, has been sentenced to 79 years in New Jersey State Prison.
On October 3, 2022, a Morris County jury returned a verdict finding John Formisano guilty of numerous charges following an eight-day trial. The defendant 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.
The charges arise from an incident that occurred on July 14, 2019, in Jefferson Township. At approximately 11:21 p.m., members of the Jefferson Township Police Department were dispatched to One Mirror Place for 9-1-1 calls of shots fired. Upon arrival, first responding officers located a deceased woman’s body lying on the front porch steps of Five Mirror Place.
The deceased woman was subsequently identified as Christie Formisano, 37, of Jefferson Township. A second victim, a male (T.S.), 40, was located with multiple gunshot wounds inside the residence of One Mirror Place. Two minor children were also located inside the residence.
At approximately 2:00 a.m., the defendant was located in Livingston and was taken into custody by law enforcement. The firearm used by the defendant was recovered in the trunk of the car the defendant was driving. The defendant, an Acting Lieutenant with the Newark Police Department, was off-duty at the time of the incident.
On December 19, 2022, the Hon. Michael C. Gaus, J.S.C. imposed an aggregate sentence of 79 years in New Jersey State Prison. The first 65 years of the sentence are subject to the No Early Release Act, which makes the defendant ineligible for parole until he has served 85% of 65 years (approximately 55 years, 3 months). Specifically, Judge Gaus imposed the following consecutive sentences: 50 years on the count of Murder; 15 years on the count of Attempted Murder; seven years on a count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child; and seven years on a count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
The sentences imposed on the remaining charges were ordered to run concurrently with the aforementioned sentences. Judge Gaus also ordered the defendant to pay restitution to the New Jersey Victim of Crimes Compensation Office and for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by the victims. Judge Gaus ordered the defendant to have no contact with the adult male victim (T.S.). He directed the defendant to have no contact with the two minor children or their current guardian for a term of 180 days.
Prosecutor Carroll would like to thank and acknowledge the agencies that participated in the investigation that led to the successful guilty verdict, including the Jefferson Township Police Department, the Livingston Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT), and the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. The Prosecutor also credited the Trial Team: Chief Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Schellhorn and Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang, with their professional and dedicated service; and commended MCPO Major Crimes Unit Lt. Michael Gomez, as well as MCPO Sergeants Sasha Gould and Michael Puskas, Detective Supervisors Stephen Gangi and Luis Goncalves, Detectives Michael Bost, Mohammed Thomas, and Matthew Belcastro, and all others who contributed to the investigation and successful prosecution in this case.
