Mays Landing man who admitted killing good Samaritan sentenced to 13 years in prison

A Mays Landing man who admitted to fatally punching a man who tried to stop him from hitting his girlfriend was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner announced Monday. Calvin Wiggins, 24, previously pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of 55-year-old John Charlton, who was heralded as a good Samaritan for coming to the woman's aid. Wiggins was allegedly hitting his girlfriend Nov. 2, 2017, along Route 40, across the street from his mother’s home near Cantillion Boulevard when Charlton drove by. Charlton got out of his car and came over, yelling at Wiggins to stop. That’s when Wiggins turned around and punched Charlton, who fell to the ground and was knocked unconscious. He died 10 days later, never regaining consciousness. Malika Freeman, who has since become engaged to Wiggins, said there was more to the story, and that Wiggins was suffering from a mental break, and that he had never become violent before. At the time, Wiggins was on parole for a second-degree robbery charge. He has been in New Jersey State Prison serving the remainder of that sentence since a parole violation was filed Nov. 3, 2017. The new sentence will not begin until Wiggins' current sentence is completed, which is currently listed as Aug. 18, 2019. He then would have to serve at least 85 percent of the 13-year sentence under the No Early Release Act.