Jail Time For South Jersey Man Who Killed Wife With Hammer, Knife

A Burlington County man has been sentenced to 27 years in state prison for using a hammer and a knife to kill his wife during an attack in their home last year, authorities announced.

Kenneth D. Arsenault, 60, of Pemberton, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. He must serve 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole.

“By all accounts, Lorraine Arsenault was a lovely woman who cared deeply for her family and friends, and we share their palpable grief over her brutal killing by her husband,” Coffina said. “Domestic violence, needless to say, is extremely dangerous to its victims, and too often escalates into tragic outcomes like in this case. We urge anyone caught up in a violent relationship to seek help to protect themselves from further abuse. In Burlington County, help is available 24 hours a day through a hotline operated by Providence House at 1-877-871-7551 or 609-871-7551. If you feel your safety is in immediate jeopardy, please call 911.”

Providence House can be reached online at https://www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org/domesticviolence-services/.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. on April 7, 2018, when police were called to the Cochita Trail home on a report of a woman screaming for help. Upon arrival, Pemberton Township police officers found Arsenault on top of his wife on the ground outside their residence, according to the prosecutor's office.

He was taken into custody, and Lorraine Arsenault, 61, was transported to the Lourdes Emergency Department at Deborah in Browns Mills, where she was pronounced dead just before 11 p.m., according to the prosecutor's office. He was indicted in the fatal stabbing last summer.