2 Die In Newark Shooting; NJ Man Accused Of Killing Lover

NEWARK, NJ — A corrections officer who works in Hudson County has been accused of shooting two women to death in Newark, one of whom he had a romantic relationship with, authorities announced Wednesday.

Police found a female victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound at Edison Place and Bruen Street around 9 p.m. A second woman, also suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, was found on the 100-block of Haynes Avenue, according to a joint statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Department of Public Safety.

“The preliminary investigation indicates these are two related homicides at two different scenes,” authorities said.

John Menendez, a 24-year-old Hudson County corrections officer from West New York, has been charged with two counts of murder and weapons offenses in connection with the shootings, authorities said.

The victims have been identified as Anna Shpilberg, 40, of Randolph and Luiza Shinkarevskaya, 40, of Riverdale. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Shinkarevskaya was discovered on the sidewalk at the Haynes Avenue location. She was pronounced dead at 9:53 p.m. Shpilberg, who is believed to have had a romantic relationship with Menendez, was in the passenger seat of her vehicle. She was pronounced dead at 9:55 p.m., authorities said.

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, is investigating the shootings. No additional information was immediately available.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com