Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announces that a Passaic County jury returned guilty verdicts in the matter of the State of New Jersey v. Carl Jones.
Five days of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts July 7th on first-degree murder, second-degree burglary, third-degree theft, third-degree burglary and the disorderly person offense of Theft. The defendant is exposed to a minimum term of thirty years New Jersey State Prison before becoming eligible for parole and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2017.
The evidence presented to the jury during the trial demonstrated that the victim, Timothy Linnartz, and the suspect were squatters at an abandoned factory located at 49-55 Governor Street in Paterson.
On or about August 29, 2013, the defendant bludgeoned the victim to death with a hammer behind that factory. The defendant then broke into the victim’s vehicle, stole the radio and tools contained inside, then stole the car himself.
Christopher Daut, the only co-defendant in the case, pled guilty to second-degree burglary and third-degree endangering an injured victim before the trial and testified as a witness.
Daut is currently scheduled for sentencing on August 11, 2017, where the State will recommend six years in state prison subject to the No Early Release Act.