Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella; Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II; and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, III, announced the arrest of Mr. Victor Taylor, 47, Irvington, for the murder of Mr. Mark Holley.
Officials say the arrest is the result of a Cold Case Homicide Investigation conducted by the North Jersey Cold Case Task Force under the direction of Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Chief Robert Anzilotti.
According to police, I'm Sunday, February 1, 2015, the Newark Police Department responded to 42 South 16th Street on a report of an unresponsive male in an apartment.
Officials say police discovered a deceased person, 46-year-old Mark Holley, who lived in the apartment, lying in a pool of blood.
An autopsy determined Holley died of blunt force trauma and strangulation. Despite an exhaustive investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Police Department, no arrests were made and the case went cold.
In 2019, the case was reopened by the North Jersey Cold Case Task Force and as a result of the investigation, Taylor was arrested on July 16th in Irvington and charged with one count of Murder.
Officials say Taylor was remanded to the Essex County Jail pending a detention hearing in Newark Superior Court.
The North Jersey Cold Case Task Force was established by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police in February 2019 and includes detectives from Bergen, Essex, and Passaic County Prosecutor’s Offices, the Newark Police Department, and New Jersey State Police. Bergen County Prosecutor Musella stated,
“We are grateful that our task force has resolved another homicide. Its continuing success is a testament to the close cooperation of the participating agencies.”
“It’s very satisfying for us to close these kinds of cases and maybe bring a small measure of comfort to the victim’s family,” said Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose, III.
“Our partners from the Prosecutor’s Offices at Essex, Bergen and Passaic Counties, and the New Jersey State Police are to be congratulated for their good police work.”
Prosecutor Musella states that the charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank all the participating agencies in the cold case task force for their continued hard work.