Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

                                 25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

 

                                *News Release*           Date: January 22, 2010
 
 

       

 

 

 

 

 

Homicide victim identified; Perth Amboy man held

 

 

          Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and Deputy Chief E. J. McDonald of the Perth Amboy Police Department today disclosed the identity of a homicide victim as a 45-year-old city resident whose body was dumped in Virginia.

 

          Leonilda L. Caceres of 340 Madison Avenue, Perth Amboy, was attacked in her second-floor apartment, possibly on January 19, 2010, and was taken to Woodbridge, Va., where her body was discovered in a trash can on January 21, 2010.

 

          An autopsy performed by authorities in Virginia revealed that Ms. Caceres was the victim of a homicide and died from blunt force trauma to her head.

 

          An investigation by Detective Ralph Pineiro of the Perth Amboy Police Department and Investigator Eleazar Ricardo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently led to the arrest of the victim’s husband, Franklin Camacho Jr. (DOB 4/26/69)

 

He was charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose after he was apprehended by New Jersey State Police on the New Jersey Turnpike.

 

At the request of Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Neil Casey, Superior Court Judge Frederick P. DeVesa set bail today at $2 million for Camacho during a hearing at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick.

 

The defendant remains in custody at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick.

 

          The investigation began after a missing persons report was filed on Ms. Caceres. After obtaining a search warrant, police examined the victim’s apartment.

 

As a result of the investigation, police determined that Camacho had driven to Virginia, and was heading back to New Jersey. State Police were notified and stopped Camacho on the turnpike at Exit 6 in Hamilton, shortly before 6 a.m. on January 21, 2010.

 

Authorities in Prince William County, Va. contacted Middlesex County investigators, reporting that the body of a woman, matching the description of Ms. Caceres, was recovered at approximately 8 a.m. on January 21, 2010.

 

Prosecutor Kaplan and Deputy Chief McDonald praised the work of the investigating officers and thanked Trooper II C. Lzwandowski and Trooper B. Guinup, both of the New Jersey State Police, and Detective Todd Troutner of the Prince William County Police Violent Crime Unit for their assistance.

 

As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charges against Camacho are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.