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Mullica man guilty of murdering wife

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It was no accident. Sergio DeRosa insisted he accidentally killed his wife while cleaning her shotgun May 26, 2014. But the jury found otherwise Wednesday, convicting him of murder. Before being taken into custody, he told his family he loves them, including his son who testified against him. "I still love you, Christopher," he called. Defense attorney Jill Cohen was shocked by the verdict. She plans to file a motion for a judgment of not guilty not withstanding the verdict. The jurors could have found him guilty of a lesser charge, such as manslaughter, but decided on first-degree murder. DeRosa now faces life in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 7, after turning down a previous plea agreement. Before the verdict, DeRosa told BreakingAC he just wants the truth to come out. "On May 26, 2014, I lost my whole family and since then I have been fighting for my family," he said in a text message. After testifying Monday, he went to the cemetery "and told her that we finally had a chance to explain what happened that night," he wrote. "Now it's time to heal and get closure from this terrible accident," he said. "The love for my wife will always be endless. Our wishes were always to love our son and her animals, which were everything to her. That is very important for her dreams to stay alive."
author

Lynda Cohen

BreakingAC founder who previously worked in newspapers for more than two decades. She is an NJPA award-winner and was a Stories of Atlantic City fellow.

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