Edison Man Sentenced To Life In 2022 Killing Of Ex-Girlfriend

EDISON, NJ — An Edison man has been sentenced to life in prison plus 10 years for killing his ex-girlfriend, whose body was found in the back seat of a car in Atlantic Highlands in 2022, authorities said.

Jordan J. Vilcatoma-Correjo, 33, was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 15, by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jill G. O'Malley. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said Tuesday.

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Shortly before 7:45 a.m. on June 10, 2022, Atlantic Highlands police responded to a call near Asbury Avenue, between Navesink and Grand avenues, and found a Honda Accord, according to the prosecutor's office.

The body of Sonia Gonzales, 26, was in the back seat. She was covered in garbage bags and missing an eye, and her body showed signs that she had been strangled and suffered blunt-force trauma, authorities said. Vilcatoma-Correjo was also at the scene and was taken into custody right away.

He was indicted in September 2022. At trial, the defense argued passion provocation, which can reduce a murder charge to manslaughter. Assistant Prosecutors Caitlin J. Sidley and Danielle Zanzuccki successfully disproved that argument. They showed evidence that after the breakup, Gonzales had changed her phone number, moved out of the home they shared and changed her daily routine to avoid him.

Prosecutors said Vilcatoma-Correjo had become more and more obsessive, aggressive and threatening in the days before the fatal confrontation.

In June, a jury found Vilcatoma-Correjo guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree disturbing human remains in the death of Gonzales, who also lived in Edison. The 10-year sentence for disturbing human remains will run consecutively to the life sentence for murder.

"The sentence imposed against the defendant for the murder of former girlfriend Sonia Gonzales reflects the devastating consequences of domestic violence – and the irreversible loss of a life due to a patently heinous and senseless act," Santiago said. "As this sentence is handed down during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are reminded that behind every such case and statistic is a life, a host of loved ones, and a family forever changed by violence."

"We want to take this opportunity to honor and remember Sonia, whose life was tragically taken, and recognize all the other victims whose lives were forever changed due to acts of domestic violence," he said. "While no sentence can undo this tragedy or ease the pain endured by all those who loved Sonia, it is our hope that justice provides some measure of accountability. We remain committed to pursuing justice for victims and ensuring that domestic violence is never ignored, excused, or tolerated."

Anyone experiencing domestic violence in New Jersey can call the statewide 24-hour hotline at 1-800-572-7233 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

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