One of New Jersey's most wanted man charged with the beating death of a man in 2007, enters not guilty plea.
Welder “Dario” Morente Dubon, 31, formerly a resident of Plainfield, was charged with murder, two related weapons offenses, and hindering apprehension.
He was located and arrested by FBI agents and members of the Guatemalan Police of the Transnational Anti-Gang Unit in Guatemala in October 2016 following a nearly decade-long search involving a dozen municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
According to authorities, on March 29, 2007, Dubon was working at a tire shop on the 1600 block of South Second Street in Plainfield when 23-year-old Joseph Tremarco of the Millington section of Long Hill, the owner of a local scrap metal salvage business, arrived there to conduct a transaction with him, according to the investigation.
Following an argument, Dubon allegedly beat Tremarco to death with a blunt instrument, moved the victim’s body into his work vehicle, and parked it on a residential street in neighboring North Plainfield before fleeing the area.
Tremarco’s body was discovered the next day. A warrant was subsequently issued for Dubon’s arrest, but by then, investigators believe that he had already traveled to Central America.
In September 2009, the case was profiled on the television program “America’s Most Wanted,” and in October 2011, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Dubon in U.S. District Court, charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The New Jersey State Police also added Dubon to its 12 Most Wanted list of fugitives.
Dubon was extradited to New Jersey in October.
Dubon's next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21.