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SOMERVILLE, N.J. – A New Jersey woman was stabbed 37 times and a former high school classmate is charged with the grisly homicide. The suspect reportedly followed a step-by-step plan outlining her murder in a manifesto, according to authorities.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, along with several other officials, announced the arrest of David C. Shroitman for the homicide of 27-year-old Mary Rose Fealey.
Shroitman, 27, of Somerville, was taken into custody Monday on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution in Fealey’s death, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said.
The prosecutor’s office provided the following details in a news release:
On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at approximately 10:20 p.m. Somerville Police responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting an injured unresponsive female located outside of residential complex on North Bridge Street, Somerville, N.J.
Responding Officers located Ms. Fealey with multiple apparent stab wounds. Officers initiated life-saving measures at the scene along with responding medical personnel. Ms. Fealey was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that detectives from the Somerville Police Department along with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigations Unit, and Medical Investigators from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene to conduct the investigation.
A postmortem examination was performed on February 1, 2024, by the Medical Examiner’s Office who positively identified the victim and determined the cause of death as multiple stab wounds and ruled the manner of death as homicide.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that since the discovery of Ms. Fealey, investigators assigned to the investigation worked relentlessly to identify the suspect involved.
On Sunday, February 4, 2024, Investigators obtained a Somerset County Superior Court Ordered Search for the residence of Mr. Shroitman, his vehicle and person. Shortly after 11:00 p.m. detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office along with Somerville Police Detectives and Somerville Patrol Officers executed the search warrant and located Mr. Shroitman who was detained by authorities.
Prosecutor McDonald stated based on the investigation conducted Mr. Shroitman was formally arrested and charged on Monday, February 5, 2024. Defendant Shroitman is charged with 1st degree Murder, 3rd degree Possession of a Weapon, 4th degree Tampering with Physical Evidence, and 3rd degree Hindering Apprehension.
The investigation revealed that defendant Shroitman was known to the victim. The investigation is on-going, and further details are not available for release to maintain the integrity of the investigation.
Defendant Shroitman was lodged at the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing in this matter.
Shroitman graduated with Fealey from Somerville High School in 2014, according to My Central Jersey.
She was stabbed about 37 times once she arrived home from a business in Bridgewater, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Patch.com. A relative told police that the front passenger door of her car remained open and her belongings were scattered across the front yard.
Investigators obtained dashcam video on Feb. 1 that showed a man wearing a gray sweatshirt, a black face gaiter and thick-cushioned sneakers standing near Fealey’s residence around 9 p.m. the night she was killed, Jan. 30, according to the affidavit.
On Feb. 2, detectives tried to speak with Shroitman at a business in Bridgewater, but he refused to answer any questions.
David Shroitman is charged with murder for allegedly stabbing former high school classmate Maryrose Fealey 37 times, leading to her death. (Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office)
However, investigators reportedly saw a white garbage bag over the driver’s seat of his Toyota Camry, as well as a black gaiter and duct tape, according to the affidavit.
The big break in the case came Sunday, when detectives obtained surveillance video from a home on East Cliff Street showing a man matching Shroitman’s description running about 9 p.m. on the night of the grisly murder, the New York Post reported.
Moreover, a vehicle believed to be the suspected killer’s was also was seen in the footage, the affidavit said.
Shroitman was later spotted by investigators wearing clear latex gloves as he was cleaning his car, Patch.com reported, citing the affidavit. The odor of bleach was apparent as it originated from a puddle by the driver’s side of the suspect’s Camry.
According to the affidavit, police later located a bloodied glove on East Cliff Street.
As detectives served the search warrant at Shroitman’s home on Feb. 4, they discovered several bleach containers and Luminol spray reportedly detected blood inside the residence. Investigators also found an incriminating manifesto laying out a step-by-step plan for the homicide, the affidavit said.
Though a motive has not been released and details included in the manifesto remain confidential, authorities confirmed that Shroitman and Fealey knew each other.
Shroitman made a court appearance on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to have a Friday detention hearing before Superior Court Judge Jonathan Romankow, My Central Jersey reported.
Maryrose Fealey advocated to help people addicted to drugs. (Maryrose Fealey/Facebook)
Fealey graduated from Rutgers Business School in 2018. She 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.
She “was many things – a visual artist, anti-drug activist, entrepreneur, champion of the underdog, philanthropist, encourager, writer, and logistician,” the obituary said, adding that “she was committed to her vision and efforts to empower youth and those battling addiction.”
Ian Bockus, a member of the nonprofit Not An Easy Fix, said 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.”
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