An Elizabeth man was arrested and charged Sunday evening in a bludgeoning death that took place early Sunday morning, Union County officials announced Monday.
Victor H. Rodriguez Gomez, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and two related weapons offenses in connection with the murder of Carmen Lopez Barahona, 30, of Elizabeth.
According to authorities, shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 11th, Elizabeth Police Department Patrol Units responded to the 200 block of Lt. Glenn Zamorski Drive and found the victim, who had sustained fatal injuries as a result of blunt force trauma to her head.
The investigation revealed that after the murder, Gomez fled the scene, and the Perth Amboy Police Department later located his vehicle.
He was apprehended and transferred into the custody of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office without incident and is currently being held in the Union County Jail pending a first appearance.
The Union County Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department led the investigation, assisted by the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit and the Perth Amboy Police Department.
“We appreciate the hard work and collaboration with our local law enforcement agencies who assisted our office in locating and apprehending the suspect,” Prosecutor Daniel said. “We hope that this arrest can bring some small measure of comfort to all those grieving Ms. Barahona.”
Anyone with information on this matter is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force Sergeant Filipe Afonso at (908) 965-3807, Detective Kenneth Luongo at (908) 527-4643, or Elizabeth Police Detective James Szpond at (908) 558-2041.
Convictions for crimes of this nature are punishable by up to life in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until