By: Richard L. Smith
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) is investigating the death of David Silva, a convicted killer serving a 43-year sentence for a 2011 Maine murder, following an incident at Northern State Prison in Newark.
According to information released by the Attorney General’s Office, Silva, 46, was hospitalized after an encounter with correctional officers on December 3, 2024. He was pronounced dead on December 12, 2024.
Silva had been convicted for the February 2011 murder of Robert Orr, a former Carver, Massachusetts, resident.
At the time, Silva was living in Orr’s Readfield, Maine, home with his girlfriend, Lindsay Spence.
On February 8, 2011, Silva shot and killed Orr, robbed him, and then set the Church Road home on fire before fleeing to Massachusetts in Orr’s truck.
A police manhunt ended with Silva’s arrest at his parents’ home in Carver.
Silva pleaded guilty in January 2013 in Kennebec County Superior Court to charges of murder, robbery, arson, and theft.
Details regarding Silva’s transfer to the New Jersey prison system remain unclear.
The identities of the involved correctional officers have not been released, and the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities have yet to provide further information.