FREEHOLD – A Middletown woman has been arrested and charged with fatally shooting her husband in their Borden Road home, officials said.
According to police, 73-year-old Michele Linzalone had called 911 on the morning of December 13, reporting she accidentally shot her husband, 74-year-old Rocky V. Linzalone.
When police arrived at the home, they found the victim with a gunshot wound to the head. Members of the Middletown Township EMS and paramedics attempted treatment but he was later pronounced dead.
A joint investigation with the Middletown Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that the shooting was not an accidental discharge.
As a result, Michele Linzalone was charged with first degree Murder and second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose. She was taken to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold pending a first appearance before a judge.
If convicted of Murder, Linzalone faces a maximum term of life imprisonment. If convicted of Possession of Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, she faces up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the Graves Act, which would require that she serve one-third to one-half of the sentence imposed or 42 months, whichever is greater.
Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey and Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber praised the collective efforts of both agencies for their swift and professional response in handling this investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Jason Gold of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 800-533-7443 or Detective Keith Hirschbein of the Middletown Township Police Department at 732-615-2100.
