David C. Shroitman; Maryrose Fealey.Photo:Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office/Facebook; Mary Rose Fealey/Facebook
Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office/Facebook; Mary Rose Fealey/Facebook
A New Jersey man was arrested this week on accusations he fatally stabbed an ex-classmate who advocated passionately to help those addicted to drugs.
On Monday, David C. Shroitman, 27, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence and hindering apprehension in connection with the death of Maryrose Fealey, 27, according to apress releasefrom the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
While authorities declined to share how the pair knew each other,Patch.comandMyCentralJersey.comreported that Shroitman graduated from Somerville High School with Healey in 2014.
On Sunday, police responded to a report of a suspicious person at a business in Somerville and allegedly found Shroitman wearing latex gloves while cleaning his car, according to the affidavit. Officers claimed they smelled bleach in a puddle near the driver’s side door. Later, officers said they recovered a latex glove with apparent blood on Fealey’s street.
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Shroitman was subsequently arrested and booked into the Somerset County Jail. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday and is still awaiting a detention hearing, MyCentralJersey.com reports.
According toher obituary, Fealey was “committed to her vision and efforts to empower youth and those battling addiction.” Founder of the non-profit organization 4TheYoungerMe (4TYM), she also was involved with non-profit organizations Not An Easy Fix and Empower Somerset.
“She firmly believed that ‘substance abuse does not define the person’ and that ‘a toxic environment does not define the child’s future,’” her obituary states.
Not An Easy Fix called Fealey’s death “horrific news” in a Feb. 1statementposted to Facebook.
“She was always extremely supportive and had a big smile whenever she entered a room,” committee member Ian Bockus said in the post. “My friend group and I have dealt with a lot of loss over the years but never anything like this. It doesn’t make sense and it isn’t right but it’s times like this where we need to come together as a family and a community and offer our support.”
A 2018 graduate of Rutgers Business School, Fealey also worked as a logistics management specialist and was a former federal employee for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, according to her obituary.
Her family has asked for donations to go toNot An Easy Fix.
source: people.com
