Murder Of Hudson County Senator's Son: New Details Revealed At Sentencing

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday for his role in the fatal stabbing of Michael Galdieri of Jersey City — a state senator's son — in 2014.

One of the two men who was ultimately paid to kill Galdieri, Bomani Africa, 62, of Philadelphia, was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in federal court in Newark.

Africa had already pleaded guilty in 2022 to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

Victim Michael Galdieri, the son of former State Senator James Galdieri, was apparently killed in his Jersey City apartment at the behest of a prominent New Jersey political consultant whom he'd worked with.

The consultant, Sean Caddle, pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a count of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, a plea that sent shockwaves through political circles last year.

The U.S. Attorney's Office released documents Thursday saying that in April of 2014, Caddle solicited a different man, George Bratsenis, 74, "to commit a murder on Caddle’s behalf in exchange for thousands of dollars."

"Bratsenis then recruited Africa, a longtime accomplice, to join the plot," according to prosecutors.

Caddle himself is scheduled to be sentenced on March 22. George Bratsenis, of Connecticut, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 29.

When Sean Caddle hired Bratsenis, he told him that the target for the murder was "a longtime associate who had worked for Caddle on various political campaigns," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to prosecutors, Africa and Bratsenis stabbed Galdieri to death in May 2014. Then, Bratsenis set fire to the victim’s apartment, prosecutors say.

The day after Caddle learned that the victim had been murdered, according to prosecutors, Caddle met Bratsenis in the parking lot of a diner in Elizabeth, a town in which Caddle had worked as a consultant before. Caddle paid Bratsenis thousands of dollars.

Then, Bratsenis shared the money with Africa, prosecutors say.

On Thursday, Judge Vazquez also sentenced Africa to five years of supervised release, besides 20 years in prison.

Motive For The Murder?

There has been speculation about the motive for the murder-for-hire, but no one — including Caddle, who remains on house arrest in a Sussex County condo — has offered an explanation. Caddle and Galdieri had partnered on several campaigns.

Since Caddle is on house arrest rather than in prison, many speculated about whether he has been acting as an informant about other New Jersey political crimes.

Last month, NJ.com reported that Caddle said in a recent court document that he is, in fact, a "cooperating witness" with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Some wonder if he has information on another crime: The September 2014 case in which former New Jersey Transportation Commissioner John Sheridan and his wife were found dead in their Montgomery Township home. Officials at first said the evidence indicated a murder suicide, then backed off the claim. The house was set on fire, as in the Galdieri case.

Michael Galdieri's father, State Sen. James Galdieri, was well known in New Jersey politics and had served as an attorney to both the Hoboken and Jersey City Housing Authorities.

Read prior reporting about Michael Galdieri, Sean Caddle, and John Sheridan here.

One of my favorites "The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn't exist"
— Sean Caddle (@SeanCaddle) February 14, 2012