A 41-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with the murder of her mother and grandmother, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
According to authorities, Heather Barbera, 41, of Ventnor, was charged with two counts of first-degree Murder, third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and first-degree Robbery.
Officials say, Elaine Rosen, 87, and her daughter Michelle Gordon, 67, were found dead at approximately 10:25 a.m., on Sunday, July 8, inside a residence at 4800 Boardwalk, Ventnor City.
The cause of death for Rosen and Gordon, is multiple blunt impact injuries and the manner of death is homicide.
Through the course of an investigation, it was learned that Barbera took a bus to New York City after committing the murders and she was identified Wednesday afternoon at the Midtown Manhattan Port Authority located at 42nd Street and 9th Avenue by NYPD officers and taken into custody. Barbera remains in custody at the NYPD Midtown South Precinct, pending extradition to New Jersey according to authorities.
This is a joint investigation between the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Ventnor City Police Department.
These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.