A Plainfield man is in custody and criminally charged with fatally stabbing a neighbor over the weekend at the rooming house where they both lived, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Wednesday.
Police say Mr. Guillermo F. Bello, 64, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of 65-year-old Louis Hillyard.
According to police, shortly after 5:45 a.m. on Sunday, October 13, members of the Plainfield Police Division traveled to the 600 block of Central Avenue and located Hillyard, who had sustained multiple stab wounds to the upper body, on the front porch of his rooming house, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Colleen Ruppert, who is prosecuting the case. Hillyard was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation by the Union County Homicide Task Force, assisted by members of the Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Plainfield Police Division, quickly resulted in Bello being identified as a suspect in the case, and he was located in Elizabeth Monday morning and arrested without incident.
Bello was then transported to Union County Jail pending a first appearance and detention hearing to take place in Superior Court.
Anyone with information about this matter is still being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Sgt. Danika Ramos at 908-358-8377 or Detective Sean Holcomb at 908-358-8377.
Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of 30 years to life in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.