A North Bergen man has been convicted by a Bergen County jury of fatally stabbing a man behind a Maywood store in 2021 after a six-week trial, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Yesterday after a six-week trial before Bergen County Superior Court Judge Susan J. Steele, Augusto Perez, 73, of North Bergen, was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and hindering apprehension.
On February 16, 2021, Perez stabbed Omar Cruz, 64, to death behind the Ulta Beauty store in the Bergen Town Center mall in Maywood. An investigation led to his arrest at his North Bergen home on February 17th, 2021.
Yesterday, a jury convicted Perez of aggravated manslaughter and hindering his own apprehension by suppression of blood evidence connecting him to the crime.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 30th, where the defendant faces the possibility of an extended term up to life in New Jersey State Prison.
The State was represented by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Talarico and Assistant Prosecutor Ricky Ruddy of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office with the assistance of Detective Natalia Navarro and legal clerk Merci Meneses.
Musella thanks the prosecution team for their zealous advocacy for the victim and his family and for helping combat crimes of violence in Bergen County.
He also commended the detectives of the Major Crimes Unit as well as members of the Maywood and Paramus Police Departments, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office “for their skill and professionalism in investigating this matter.”
