A New Jersey man accused of stabbng a 27-year-old former high school classmate to death last month had a step-by-step plan detailing how he was going to carry out the murder.
Maryrose Fealey was found dead outsider her apartment complex in Somerville on January 30. She had been stabbed 37 times. Her car door was left open, and her belongings were scattered around the scene, News12 reported.
Police “developed David Shroitman as a suspect by word of mouth” on the night of the murder, according to an affidavit for Shroitman’s arrest, although they provided no details.
The next day, police said they had dash cam footage showing a man wearing a gray sweatshirt, a black neck gaiter over his face, and thick cushioned sneakers standing near Fealey’s home. On February 2, detectives went to speak with him, although he refused. They saw a white garbage bag over the driver’s seat of his car and a black gaiter on the front passenger seat, along with duct tape in the back seat.
Shroitman Complaint Aff of PC Redacted by kc wildmoon on Scribd
Two days later, police had more video, this time from a home near Fealey’s residence. That video showed a man matching the man seen in the dash cam footage “running up and down East Cliff Street.” The man runs out of view, and moments later a car matching Shroitman’s drives into view. Later that day, police got a call about a suspicious person and found Shroitman cleaning his vehicle with bleach.
Shroitman was wearing clear latex gloves, police said, and they later found a discarded and similar glove which had on it apparent blood.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Shroitman’s home, where they found bleach containers and his “manifesto” detailing his plan for the murder. They found bleach on the driver’s door of his car, blood in the entryway and bathroom of his home, and clothing matching that worn by the man in scene in the two videos near the scene.
Police said that Fealey and Shroitman lived less than a mile apart, but they have found no connection between them beyond their high school years.
Shroitman was charged with murder, possessing a weapon other than a firearm to commit a crime, tampering with evidence, and hindering an investigation. He was ordered held without bail.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Maryrose Fealey/Facebook]