The man convicted of murder and racketeering in the Kauffman case was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison Wednesday.
Ferdinand "Freddy" Augello, 62, was sentenced on charges including the murder of April Kauffman, racketeering, leading a drug ring and attempting to kill the victim's husband to keep him from outing their partnership.
Augello would have to serve 55 years before he would be eligible for parole.
"Right now, I am just so heartbroken," April Kauffman's daughter, Kimberly Pack, said as she read from a four-page statement.
Pack talked about the loss of her mother, who was also her best friend and confidant.
"As relieved as I am that there has been justice for April, I am broken," she said. "The sadness is something I have never feld and I believe that I am finally grieving my mother."
While she said she still doesn't understand why her mother was killed, she is thankful for the answers she has gotten.
Augello has been adamant that he was not involved in the murder of the beloved local radio host. And during a half-hour speech he gave before the judge Wednesday, he continued to deny his involvement.
He said he felt sorry for Pack — who left the courtroom before he began speaking — but that he was not involved in her mother's killing.
Joseph Mulholland, who testified against Augello, was the culprit, he said.
Mulholland, who pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering, admitted on the stand that he dropped off shooter Francis Mulholland the morning of the killing, and then left to await word that April Kauffman was dead.
Francis Mulholland died in 2013, of an apparent drug overdose. But Augello insisted that Joseph Mulholland told him he killed Francis Mulholland.
The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office has since reopened the case into Frank Mulholland's death as a possible crime.
Before the sentencing, Superior Judge Bernard DeLury denied a motion by the defense for a new trial, saying that there was no proof the prosecution kept information in the case from the defense. A letter authored by three longtime employees of the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office made allegations about that. But the letter could not be included in the argument without some sort of certification, the judge ruled last week. The defense was unable to get that.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy said that his office looked into their records and found nothing missing in what was turned over to the defense.
After the sentencing, Tyner said the judge's ruling confirmed that there was no wrongdoing, despite the letter by the women, who he deemed "disgruntled employees."
A forfeiture hearing was also set for Wednesday concerning possessions seized during on Augello's home. But the state dropped its motion, and those items will be returned to a designee of Augello's.
Five people have pleaded guilty in the case, and were set to be sentenced Thursday. But the judge moved those sentencings to Feb. 7, so that they would come after the only remaining trial.
Paul Pagano is accused of racketeering and other crimes associated with the prescription pill ring. He is expected to get a trial date Thursday.
Cheryl Pizza, who already planned to travel from South Carolina, will have her originally scheduled sentencing Thursday. She faces a three-year term, but her attorney can argue that any prison time be suspended.
