Boyfriend Of Au Pair Arrested In Maplewood Double Murder: ECPO

The boyfriend of an au pair who was killed along with her boss was arrested in a double homicide that shocked a New Jersey community this weekend, authorities said.

Joseph Porter, 27, of Elizabeth was charged with two counts of murder, possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal restraint, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

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Porter was charged in connection with the killing of two people in Maplewood on Saturday, according to the ECPO. One victim was identified as Karen L. Bermudez-Rodriguez, 26, of Maplewood, who was transported to Beth Israel Medical Center where she was pronounced dead at 7:17 a.m. on Saturday.

Porter had been in a dating relationship with Bermudez-Rodriguez, according to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened around 6 a.m. when Maplewood police officers responded to the area of Walton Road and Jefferson Avenue on a report of a woman being assaulted. Arriving officers located an injured woman lying in the street, according to the ECPO.

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As Maplewood officers were canvassing the area of this incident, an unresponsive man was located within a residence in the 400 block of Walton Road. David Kimowitz, 40 of Maplewood, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly of the Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit.

Bermudez- Rodriguez was employed as an au pair for the Kimowitz family, according to the ECPO.

An investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force and the Maplewood Police Department led authorities to charge Porter in connection with the deaths, according to the ECPO.

Porter was lodged in the Essex County Correctional Facility pending an appearance in Superior Court, according to Fennelly.

A report from NJ.com noted a neighbor said there was no commotion or any sign of trouble until police arrived and that it is a very quiet neighborhood.

Caution tape stretched tree-to-tree around a large home on the corner of Walton and Jefferson avenues as one officer stood guard on Saturday, according to nj.com. There were never any signs of trouble at the home, one neighbor told the publication, and the family had moved in roughly a year ago, he estimated.

"They haven't been here long. I'd drive by and see normal activity, the kids would play, nothing out of the ordinary," the man told nj.com.