JENNIFER PARKS - 16 yo - (2005) / Convicted: Neighbors, Jonathan and James Zarate - Morristown, NJ

Girl Allegedly Dismembered by Next-Door Neighbor

MORRISTOWN, N.J, Aug. 2, 2005


A 16-year-old girl who had been missing since Saturday was found stabbed to death and dismembered -- and police say her killer lived right next door.

Jonathan Zarate, 18, appeared Monday in Morris County Court to face charges of murder, weapons offenses, and hindering apprehension in the slaying of Jennifer Parks.

Zarate lived next door to Parks in their Randolph, N.J., neighborhood, and prosecutors say the 16-year-old victim left her house early Saturday morning to watch TV with Zarate. But then, authorities said, the two became embroiled in an argument that led to Parks' gruesome killing.

Relatives became alarmed when they realized that Parks had not come home and was missing. Authorities said a police officer in Secaucus saw Zarate, his 14-year-old brother and a 16-year-old friend in a car parked on a bridge over the Passaic River early Sunday morning as as they tried to dump a trunk over the overpass. When police opened the trunk they found Parks' dismembered remains.

"She was there that whole day," said Cathy Dodd, Jennifer's aunt. "We were walking around the yard, looking for her, and she was still in the trunk. It's hard to believe something like this can happen to your own family."



'He Was Not Nervous at All'
An autopsy found that Parks died from blunt force trauma to the face and body, stab wounds to the neck and abdomen and mechanical asphyxiation.

"He beat her in the face and stomach with a metal pole used to secure the rear sliding glass door and then stabbed her multiple times with a knife," Morris County prosecutor Michael Rubbinaccio said.

Prosecutors said there was no sexual interaction between Parks and Zarate while the two were in his home. Neighbors say Zarate and Parks had a dispute dating back several years to when Parks attended a Randolph middle school, because the suspect's younger brother apparently used to taunt the victim in class. But neighbors say in recent years the friction had cooled off.

Members of the community were stunned by the slaying, especially since some remembered talking to Zarate after Parks disappeared.

"He was not nervous at all," said Febe Seib. "He was so relaxed and I can't believe that the results are something different."

Prosecutors believe Zarate acted alone when he killed Parks but had help trying to cover it up.

He pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million cash bail while his younger brother and the other juvenile suspect allegedly involved in attempting to dump the body are charged with unlawful disposal of human remains and tampering with evidence, and remain in custody.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=1000015&page=1

Witness says Jonathan Zarate belittled brother into killing Randolph girl


June 17, 2009 at 7:42 PM

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerVladimir Basilio, left, with defense attorney Joseph Ferrante on June 16.

RANDOLPH -- Along with revenge, another reason James Zarate helped his older brother beat and stab a Randolph girl to death in 2005 was because his sibling told him he didn't have the nerve to kill someone, a witness testified today in Zarate's murder trial.

That witness, Vladimir Basilio, now 20, was caught by police helping Zarate and his brother, Jonathan Zarate, trying to throw a trunk containing the body of victim Jennifer Parks into a river the day after she was killed in Jonathan Zarate's house next door to her own home on July 30, 2005.


Nearly two months after the killing, Basilio gave a statement to police that said, "the Zarate brothers had been arguing between themselves, and Jonathan told James he didn't have the (guts) to kill someone else," Basilio testified under questioning by Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Lane.

"And that was the main reason they killed her?" Lane asked, and Basilio replied, "Yes."

However, defense attorney Joseph Ferrante read Basilio's statement as "There was an argument between the brothers, with Jonathan saying James didn't have the (guts) to kill someone."


Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerJames Zarate looks toward his parents as he enters court for his murder trial on June 9.

A witness today testified that his brother, Jonathan, belittled James, by saying 'he didn't have the (guts) to kill someone.'

"That's different isn't it, that's not a dare," Ferrante asked. But before Basilio answered, there was an objection from the prosecution that led to a sidebar discussion between the attorneys and judge. After that, Ferrante had no further questions and Basilio was excused.

Lane has previously contended that the motive for the killing was revenge, because Jennifer had gotten James, now 18, into trouble in 2003 over his bullying of her.

Basilio testified today that it was revenge and Jonathan's belittling of James that were the catalysts that led to the brothers luring Parks over to Jonathan's basement apartment, where James was hiding in a closet. Once Jonathan started punching Parks, James jumped out and joined in the attack, punching and stabbing Parks, Basilio testified.

Basilio became involved when the brothers came to his hometown of Clifton, looking for someone to help throw the trunk off of a bridge linking Rutherford and Passaic. Basilio, who was a friend of James from middle school, testified that the brothers, but mostly James, told Basilio how they planned and carried out the killing, and cut off Parks legs to be able to fit her body into the trunk.

Ferrante contends that Jonathan Zarate was the sole killer, and James, who lived with his mother in Garfield and was visiting his father that weekend, only helped in trying to get rid of the body. Jonathan, now 22, was found guilty by a jury in December of murdering Parks, and sentenced the following month to life in prison.

In trying to establish that Basilio's version -- that he learned details of the killing from James and not Jonathan, who was just an acquaintance -- is credible, Lane asked, "Is there any reason Jonathan Zarate would tell Vladimir Basilio? Does that seem plausible?" and Basilio answered no.

Matthew Wood, a forensic scientist from the New Jersey State Police lab in Trenton, testified that stains found on several items were blood stains. The items were a metal pole that prosecutors say was used to beat Parks; the carpet in Jonathan Zarate's basement; a pair of blue jeans found in the basement; and a bandanna that James allegedly stuffed down Parks' throat to muffle her screams. A kitchen knife and filet knife allegedly used in the killing and dismemberment had no blood on them, but that did not necessarily mean there was never any blood on them, Wood testified.

Elliot Clark, another forensic scientist from the NJSP lab, testified that the stains on the metal pole, carpet, bandanna and blue jeans were from Parks' blood.

Clark also testified there was mixed DNA from two people detected on a wad of chewing gum found in a garbage bag that prosecutors say also contained items used to clean up the bloody scene in Zarate's basement. Clark couldn't say with absolute scientific certainty that it was James' DNA on the gum, but rather that it matched his DNA profile and he could not be excluded as a contributor. The source of the other DNA on the gum was not known.

The trial is to resume today, with the prosecution calling Zarate's former stepmother, Ligia Molina, and her son, Jonathan Sandoval, who also were living in Jonathan Zarate's home at the time of the killing.

James Zarate had told investigators that he was not present in the basement when Jonathan killed Parks, because James had gone upstairs to sleep on a couch when Parks showed up at Jonathan's door around 2:30 a.m. James also told authorities that Jonathan awoke him at 5 a.m. to help carry the trunk out to a Jeep.

However, Molina is expected to testify that the Zarate brothers were downstairs and "up all night making noise," and that her son, Jonathan Sandoval, was sleeping on the couch -- not James Zarate, Lane had told the jury in his opening remarks on the first day of the trial on June 9.

The prosecution, which expects to rest its case Thursday, also may call Basilio's attorney to the stand.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/witness_says_jonathan_zarate_b.html

“You are an evil, vile, despicable killer”


Posted by Bob Karp on Jan 23rd, 2009 |

“Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all.”

–Aristotle

Convicted killer Jonathan Zarate is led out of the courtroom after he was sentenced to life in prison, plus 24 years, for the savage murder and dismemberment in 2005 of teenage neighbor Jennifer Ann Parks.

No truer words have ever been spoken. “You are an evil, vile, despicable killer,” said Judge Salem Vincent Ahto ending chapter one of the two part trials called ‘State vs Zarate.’ Later this year, the brother of convicted murderer Jonathan Zarate will start his trial as the Parks family again is asked to relive the horrific details of their daughter Jennifer’s death.

Left, Morris County Sheriff's officer Michael Puzio examines a knife collected from the basement of the Zarate home. Right, State Police forensics expert Matthew Wood shows the jury a metal pole that was used to beat victim Jennifer Parks.

Evil is defined as, ‘ Morally bad or wrong; wicked.’ The word can not possibly do justice to the pain and suffering this young man has caused two sets of families and friends. Sadly, it’s the only word that comes to mind after sharing a courtroom with Mr. Zarate for the better part of two and a half years. Endless arraignments, pre-trial hearings, the trial and now the sentencing. Testimony in the Morris County courtroom that had veteran police officers as well as prosecutors struggling to compose themselves. Looking across the courtroom into the eyes of the 21-year-old defendant, I saw nothing. No fear, no sadness, no remorse. The most emotion he could muster during the proceedings would be a smile for his mother as he came into court.

Defense attorney Richard Mazawey walks past a photo of victim Jennifer Parks.

Two hours after the defendant was ushered into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles, Jonathan Zarate was led out of the same door facing his entire lifetime behind bars. The 21-year-old must serve 87 years of his sentence before he is eligible for parole. About the same time, I walked out of the front door of the courthouse into the cool air and sunshine of a beautiful day of late January in Morristown, I couldn’t help but ask myself the same questions I do after every murder sentencing I’ve covered since the mid 1980′s. How could someone commit a crime so heinous as to jeopardize this precious freedom? There must have been at least a moment where Mr. Zarate stopped and for the briefest millisecond a voice inside his head screamed out, “STOP IT! This is wrong!” It must be a mystery of chemical synaptic transmissions or maybe just someone who is born evil that separates Mr. Zarate from those of us who choose to live by the rules of a civilized society. And in that way, earn the right to live our lives as free men and women.

Jonathan Zarate walks out of court after he was found guilty of murder.

Freedom is one gift people take most for granted. I try to think what my life will be like 10 years from now. How many concerts will I have seen, what kind of car I’ll be driving, how many cups of Dunkin Donuts toasted almond coffee I will have consumed. Vacations to Peru, Tibet, Greece and Turkey all being planned with my beautiful wife for our bright future. The beauty of life is in its living, it’s unexpectedness. Ten years from today, I don’t know where I’ll be but I’m reasonably confident I’ll be happy and loved.

Jonathan Zarate, probably no less loved by his family, will be just where we left him, in a prison full of men much like himself surrounded by prison guards for what will seem not like 87 years, but just one excruciatingly long day that will never end. After his life in prison is over, upon his passing, the only legacy he will have left behind is simply a footnote in the history of crime in Morris County. Maybe for some of his sentence, he’ll have long nights to think back to July 30, 2005, to Jennifer and how their night could have just ended with some late night television and a goodnight. The tragedy of Mr. Zarate’s wasted life is as much a crime as denying Jennifer Park’s and her family’s opportunity to share her future.
As I left the courtroom I ran into David Parks. I shook his hand and praised his composure he maintained throughout the trial. I shook my head and said to him, “I guess I’ll be seeing you again in a few months.” Mr. Parks attempted a smile and said, “It just seems like it’s never going to end.” Although I don’t know how it would be possible to ever recover from the loss of a child, I certainly pray for all our sakes he’s wrong.

http://blogs.dailyrecord.com/photojournalist/2009/01/23/%E2%80%9Cyou-are-an-evil-vile-despicable-killer%E2%80%9D/#sthash.VvSJgHOF.dpuf

James Zarate found guilty of murder in slaying of Randolph teen


Jim Lockwood/The Star-Ledger By Jim Lockwood/The Star-Ledger

on June 25, 2009 at 5:14 PM, updated June 26, 2009 at 1:59 PM

RANDOLPH -- Moments after a jury in Morristown announced that it had found James Zarate guilty of helping his brother murder and dismember their 16-year-old neighbor, Jennifer Parks, the victim's family released a flood of pent-up emotions.

"Yes!" Laurie Parks, Jennifer's mother, shouted as other family members burst into tears and hugged each with long, tight embraces.

Full coverage of the Zarate murder trial from The Star-Ledger


"Finally. Finally. (The) nightmare is over," said David Parks, the dead girl's father.

After four years of grief and agony over how their daughter was beaten, stabbed and dismembered, then stuffed into a trunk which the Zarate brothers tried to throw into a river, the Parks family has some closure, David Parks said.

Laurie Parks said the verdict is justice for her daughter, particularly since it came two days before what would have been her 20th birthday tomorrow.

"It's over," a weeping Laurie Parks said. "This will be the best birthday present we could give her."

Zarate, now 18, was 14 when Parks was killed in the basement of the Zarate home on Old Brookside Road in Randolph on July 30, 2005. He faces the same punishment -- life in prison -- his brother, Jonathan, now 22, received after he was convicted in a separate trial last year.

The jury, which deliberated for nearly seven hours over two days, also found James Zarate guilty on eight other counts, including desecrating human remains, hindering apprehension and weapons offenses.

He faces 30 years to life on the murder count alone. A life sentence would mean he would have to serve at least 63 years and nine months before becoming eligible for parole. He also faces an additional 43 years on the other charges.

The actual number of years Zarate will have to serve will depend upon whether the sentences run consecutively or concurrently. Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto has scheduled sentencing for July 31.

Today's verdict capped a nine-day trial.

Morris County Assistant Prosecutors Robert Lane and David Bruno had argued James Zarate was an equal partner in the crime with his brother and helped cut off Jennifer's legs so the brothers could stuff her body into a trunk.

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerJames Zarate, looks toward his parents as he enters court during the start of Zarate's murder trial.

Zarate was found guilty today on all counts for his role in the murder of his neighbor, Jennifer Parks.


They also argued the motive was revenge -- that James hated Jennifer because he had gotten into trouble in 2003 for bullying her.
But defense attorney Joseph Ferrante tried to convince the jury Jonathan was the lone killer, and that James only helped try to dispose of the body. The brothers and another teen, Vladimir Basilio, of Clifton, were apprehended the day after the killing as they tried to heave the trunk containing Parks' body off a bridge over the Passaic River in Rutherford.

The prosecution called 18 witnesses. Basilio, 20, testified that he was told by James how he and his brother planned and carried out the killing as revenge, and how they dismembered Parks and tried to cover up the crime.

Medical Examiner Sunandan Singh also testified that he believed the murder had to have been committed by at least two people because of the number and nature of wounds Parks sustained.

Still, because the case against James Zarate was largely circumstantial, it was more difficult for prosecutors than the case against his brother.

In that trial, Jonathan had confessed to killing Parks and his defense centered on whether he suffered a mental defect that caused him to kill.

Ferrante did not present any witnesses, and James Zarate also did not testify on his own behalf. And because Ferrante had flat-out told the jury James Zarate was guilty of trying to dispose of the body, there never was any question about whether he would be convicted of desecrating human remains and hindering apprehension. The main question all along was whether the jury would convict him of murder.

The Zarate family was crestfallen after the verdict was announced. Zarate's father, Jon Zarate Sr., declined to comment afterward, and Ferrante also could not be reached for comment.

Nonplussed and showing no emotion, a handcuffed James Zarate blew a kiss to his family as he was led away by court security officers.

Juror Vincent Martorano of Montville said he was "drained" from the proceedings, but declined to comment on what led the jury to its decision.

"It was just an emotional thing we went through," Martorano said in a brief telephone interview after the trial. "It was draining for all of us, and we gave it serious attention, to every detail."

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/jury_finds_james_zarate_guilty.html