GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Prosecutors have charged a 50-year-old man who they say fatally stabbed a woman at a Gloucester Township townhome that was set on fire early Tuesday morning.
What we know:
Officers from the Gloucester Township Police Department were called to a home on the 100 Freedom Way around 2:30 a.m. for reports of a stabbing.
Investigators say officer entered the townhome and found 50-year-old Jerome Morris holding a knife and covered in blood. Police then discovered 51-year-old Monica Morris fatally stabbed in a third floor bedroom with heavy fire and smoke.
Firefighters removed the Monica Morris from the home and extinguished the fire, according to investigators. Two men who were inside the house at the time of the incident were able to safely escape.
Jerome Morris was charged with first-degree murder and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
Three officers suffered minor injuries during the incident – two were treated at the scene and another was taken to a local hospital and has since been released.
What they’re saying:
Neighbors described waking up to chaos in the middle of the night.
“I thought it was just a fire and I heard the smoke alarms because they are really loud, so I’m trying to evacuate my kids to get out because I didn’t know what was going on because it was in the middle of the night,” said Nickie.
A neighbor’s Ring camera captured a person running in distress away from the home.
“She was very nice, very kind, we would do our normal neighborly wave to one another, it’s very sad to learn that someone lost their life so tragically,” said Yolanda Jones, a neighbor.
What we don’t know:
Investigators have not commented on the relationship between the suspect and victim.
It’s also unknown what sparked the deadly stabbing.
