A Woodbridge man has been found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder for convincing a co-defendant to fatally beat an Edison man.
Michael Doce, 36, of the Colonia section of Woodbridge, was convicted on June 20 following an eight-week trial in New Brunswick before Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves.
Doce is expected to be sentenced to 30 years to life in prison when his penalty is imposed by the judge on Aug. 18, according to a statement prepared by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
Doce will be required to spend 30 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.
During the trial, Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Vincent Vitale and Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Kristen Pridgen presented evidence and testimony showing that Doce convinced Daniel F. Medaglia, 32, of Edison, to kill Kelvin Dumo, 28, also of Edison.
Doce was arrested and charged after Sgt. Michael Daniewicz of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and Detective Douglas Sprague of the Sayreville Police Department determined that Doce discussed the homicide with Medaglia before the victim was fatally beaten on Nov. 6, 2011, according to the statement.
Police were alerted to the crime when the victim’s body was discovered at Viking Terminal on Jernee Mill Road in Sayreville.
An autopsy performed by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Dumo died from blunt force trauma to the head and that the manner of death was homicide, according to the statement.
Under an agreement with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Medaglia testified against Doce and pleaded guilty to his role in the crime and will be sentenced to a 30-year prison term.
Another co-defendant, Ryan Morrell, 35, of Dunellen, was charged with hindering the apprehension of Medaglia by driving him from the crime scene, according to the statement. He is facing a probationary term.
