Carteret Killer Gets 30 Years After Strangling Girlfriend

A Carteret man was sentenced to 30 years in a New Jersey state prison for strangling his live-in companion in their home last year.

Shawn Humphrey, 29, was sentenced last week in the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick after he pleaded guilty in June to murder. Humphrey admitted killing his girlfriend, Dana Ciccolella, 32, during an argument on March 19, 2011, said in a statement.

Humphrey was charged during an investigation by Detective Sgt.Douglas Kopin and Detective Sgt. Raymond Novak, both of the Carteret Police Department, and Investigator Adrian Villegas of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation began after family members found the victim unresponsive and contacted a family friend, who called police on March 21, two days after Humphrey strangled her. Ciccolella, who was found in a bedroom, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Humphrey was arrested in Penn Station in New York City at about 8:15 pm on March 22, 2011, and later was returned to New Jersey, where he has remained in custody.

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