Second Trial For Cinnaminson Man Accused Of Double Murder

CINNAMINSON, NJ — A Cinnaminson man who was serving 60 years in prison after being found guilty of his girlfriend and her father will reportedly get another trial.

A court ruling found that Dennis Pozniak’s trial was flawed because jurors weren’t given the option of considering manslaughter or aggravated manslaughter in the case, the Courier Post reports.

Pozniak, 31, was previously convicted by a jury on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon in the death of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Nicole Wilson, and her father, 52-year-old Bryan Wilson.

At about 9 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2015, a family member awoke and discovered the bodies of Nicole Wilson and her father. Police were called to the residence.

Pozniak was inside the residence at the time. He was taken to a hospital and treated for several lacerations that were believed to be self-inflicted.

According to a previous Burlington County Times report, he slashed himself 50 timesand mixed pills with alcohol in an attempt to kill himself.

Autopsies performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that death for both victims was caused by head trauma due to bludgeoning.

During the trial, Pozniak's attorney, Timothy Farrow, had argued that his client was impaired by mental illness and substance abuse when he killed Bryan and Nicole Wilson.

He presented testimony from a clinical and forensic psychologist and a toxicologist that Pozniak didn't intend to kill them.

These reasons contributed to Monday’s ruling, according to the report. They should’ve been an indication that Pozniak was acting in a diminished capacity at the time of the deaths, but the jury was only given the option to consider a verdict of first-degree murder.

See related: Cinnaminson Man Sentenced In Murder Of Girlfriend, Her Father