Gloucester Twp. Murder Suspect Jailed Until Trial: Report

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gibbsboro man accused of killing a Gloucester Township man at a Boy Scout reservation has reportedly been denied bail due to a history of violence.

Shawn Massey, 38, will remain in jail pending trial in the death of 54-year-old Joseph Bottino, the Courier Post reports.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Shusted made the determination in a virtual hearing after Prosecutor Christine Shah detailed Massey’s mental health history and three convictions for aggravated assault in the last eight years, according to the report.

People familiar with Massey told police he had stopped taking his medication, and was paranoid that people were trying to kill him before Bottino was found dead on the reservation on Dec. 23, according to an affidavit of probable cause in the case. Read more here: Gloucester Twp. Murder Suspect Paranoid About Being Killed: Cops

They also told police Massey often took long walks in the woods, but usually returned within a day. Police learned this information while visiting Massey's home after detectives identified his fingerprints on a cell phone that was left at the murder scene.

Police said they also discovered a knife and cinder blocks with apparent blood stains near Bottino's body, which was found in the Pine Hill Boy Scout Reservation. Bottino had gone there to hunt, as he frequently did, according to his family. Read more here: Death Of Gloucester Township Man Under Investigation: Police

During a subsequent search of the reservation, police found Massey's cell phone hidden under a pile of leaves on a utility trailer in the reservation, police said.

On Dec. 27, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office issued an announcement that Massey was missing, and included a picture of him in that announcement.

On Jan. 19, they updated their announcement to announce he had been charged with murder in Bottino's death. That same day, a police officer in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, recognized Massey and arrested him without incident, police said. Massey has been charged with murder. Read more here: Arrest Made In Gloucester Township Murder: Police