Crimes Against Elderly: Man, Fiancee Arraigned in His Parents' Death (NJ USA)

Man, fiancee arraigned in his parents' deaths
October 27, 2008

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) _ Middlesex County prosecutors say a South Brunswick man strangled his parents in their trailer home, then used their credit cards to buy his fiancee an engagement ring after she helped him bury the couple in a nearby park.

Michael A. Maltese, 20, and his fiancee, 19-year-old Nicole Taylor, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday before state Superior Court Judge Frederick DeVesa. Both were represented by court-appointed public defenders.

Maltese was arrested Friday and charged with murder, while Taylor was accused of conspiracy to commit murder. Both also were charged with theft of the credit cards and hindering apprehension. Maltese is being held in the county jail on $2 million bail, while Taylor remains there on $1 million bail.

Besides buying the ring after the Oct. 8 slayings of Michael J. Maltese, 58, and his wife Kathleen, 53, the suspects also used the stolen cards to buy food, hotel accommodations and sporting goods, Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said.

Kaplan said Maltese strangled his parents with his hands, but the prosecutor declined to say if the alleged thefts were the motive for the slayings. The couple's bodies were found Saturday buried in a shallow grave several miles from their South Brunswick home.
Michael A. Maltese and Taylor had been living in his parents' home since August. Authorities said he and another family member filed a missing persons report with South Brunswick police on Oct. 17, telling them his parents were last heard from on Oct. 10. Police became suspicious of Maltese's account, and he was charged on Oct. 18 with giving authorities false information and released without bail. Authorities say the parents, who ran a trucking company, originally were from Perth Amboy and had moved to the trailer park two years ago. Besides their son, they also had two daughters.

SOURCE: NewsDay
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