NJ teacher allegedly killed by husband she planned on leaving as daughter recalls moms horrific final moments
A beloved culinary teacher was allegedly stabbed to death by her enraged husband who she was planning to leave — with her horrified daughter witnessing her tragic final moments, court documents revealed.Monica Morris, 51, was found dead near her family’s smoldering townhouse on the 100 block of Freedom Way in Erial, New Jersey just before 3 a.m.Tuesday, according to the Gloucester Township Police Department.When responding officers burst into the burning home, they found her husband, Jerome, 50, covered in blood and armed with a knife.Just past him was her body, lying found face-down in their burning third-floor bedroom.
Monica had sustained several fatal knife wounds to her throat and neck, police said.Two other unidentified adults fled the home unscathed.Jerome was treated for unspecified injuries at a hospital before he was taken into custody, according to police.Jerome, who has a history of stalking, threats and harassment, allegedly snapped shortly after his wife told him that she wanted to leave the marriage, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by NJ.com.Monica’s daughter said she heard Jerome “killing my mom” when she called 911 around 2:25 a.m., the affidavit said.The daughter later told investigators that she heard screaming coming from the third floor, where her parents’ bedroom was located.
When she went upstairs, she heard her mother screaming that Jerome was trying to kill her, according to court documents.While the daughter was calling 911, she found a key to the bedroom and unlocked the door.Inside, she saw Jerome hovering over a bloodied Monica with a knife in his hand, according to the affidavit.Monica was a beloved culinary arts instructor at Trenton Central High School and mother to her four children, according to a GoFundMe organized by her son-in-law.“Her compassion and generosity made her a role model to many, and her presence brought warmth and hope to those around her,” the family wrote.Crystal Feliciano, the c...