Bergen County Man Smothered Wife, Then Staged Robbery: Prosecutors

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A 71-year-old Hasbrouck Heights man stands accused of murdering his wife and staging a robbery to cover it up, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Investigators said that Michael Mannis of Hamilton Avenue called 911 at 5:01 p.m. on Saturday, saying he'd found his wife Judith "deceased and possibly beaten" at home, and that it looked like there had been a robbery.

But Manis later admitted that he'd use a pillow to suffocate her, according to a criminal complaint.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office charged Manis on Sunday with first-degree murder, disturbing/desecrating human remains, hindering the apprehension of oneself, and making a false report to law enforcement.

According to the criminal complaint, after Judith died, Manis "decided to stage a home invasion in which he ransacked the room, including hiding the victim's jewelry in the basement ceiling." He also put some of her items in the dumpster of a nearby apartment complex in Wood-Ridge, a detective said in the complaint.

Prosecutors believe Judith was killed on Friday, they said.

This year so far, calls to the domestic violence hotline in Bergen County have surged, officials have said.

Statewide, in the first three months of 2023, 10 women and children in New Jersey were killed by male family members or former intimate partners.

In just the last two weeks, there have been two more cases in New Jersey besides this one.

Where To Get Help

In an emergency, call 911.

The national Domestic Violence Hotline, reachable through phone, text, or chat, is 800-799-SAFE (7233), or you can text "Start" to 88788 to reach them by text.

The New Jersey hotline is 1-800-572-SAFE (7233). The list of county agencies is here, and other information on how to protect oneself legally in New Jersey is here.