Former Newark Cop Sentenced For Murder Of Estranged Wife

NEWARK, NJ — Former Newark police officer John Formisano will serve nearly eight decades in prison after fatally shooting his estranged wife in Morris County three years ago, prosecutors announced Monday.

Formisano, 52, formerly of Jefferson Township, was sentenced to 79 years in New Jersey state prison, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. The first 65 years of the sentence are subject to the No Early Release Act, which make the defendant ineligible for parole until he has served roughly 55 years and three months.

Formisano was also ordered to pay restitution to the New Jersey Victim of Crimes Compensation Office and for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred by the victims.

Prosecutors released the following statement about the fatal shooting, which claimed the life of Christie Formisano, 37, and wounded her boyfriend:

“The charges arise from an incident that occurred on July 14, 2019 in Jefferson Township. At approximately 11:21 p.m., members of the Jefferson Township Police Department were dispatched to 1 Mirror Place for 911 calls of shots fired. Upon arrival, first responding officers located a deceased woman’s body lying on the front porch steps of 5 Mirror Place. The deceased woman was subsequently identified as Christie Formisano, age 37, of Jefferson Township. A second victim, male (T.S.), age 40, was located with multiple gunshot wounds inside the residence of 1 Mirror Place.”

Two juvenile children were also inside the residence at the time, authorities said.

Prosecutors continued:

“At approximately 2 a.m., [Formisano] was located in Livingston, and was taken into custody by law enforcement. The firearm used by the defendant was recovered in the trunk of the car the defendant was driving. [Formisano], an acting lieutenant with the Newark Police Department, was off-duty at the time of the incident.”

In October, a Morris County jury found Formisano guilty of several charges after an eight-day trial: first degree murder, first degree attempted murder, two counts of second degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second degree official misconduct, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and third degree hindering apprehension or prosecution.

In addition to the prison sentence announced Monday, Formisano was ordered to have no contact with the two minor children or their current guardian for a term of 180 days. He was also ordered to have no contact with the adult male victim (T.S.).

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