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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Atlantic City Man Convicted of Aggravated Manslaughter and Weapons Offenses for Fatal Stabbing in 2011


MAYS LANDING - An Atlantic City man was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and weapons offenses for fatally stabbing a man with a pair of scissors in 2011, acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced today.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, an Atlantic County jury convicted Manuel E. Concepcion Jr., 34, of aggravated manslaughter and weapons offenses for the fatal stabbing of Ignacio Castro, 45, who was stabbed in the heart with a pair of scissors in July of 2011.

In the early morning hours of July 11, 2011, an altercation occurred between Concepcion and Castro outside on Pacific Avenue. The altercation turned physical and Concepcion stabbed Castro in the chest with a pair of scissors. Following the stabbing, Castro was observed staggering down Pacific Avenue shortly after 5 a.m. by a witness who called 911. Atlantic City Police arrived moments later and discovered Castro lying on the ground at the corner of Pacific and Florida Avenues. Castro was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, city campus, where he later succumbed to his injuries on Aug. 3, 2011.

Following Castro's death, Concepcion was arrested for murder and lodged at the Atlantic County Justice Facility, where he has remained awaiting trial in lieu of $500,000 bail.

During the three-week-long trial, the State, represented by Assistant Prosecutor Erik Bergman, presented the jury with police and witness testimony, video evidence of the altercation and physical evidence, including the pair of broken scissors used in the stabbing.

One of the State’s witnesses —a friend of the defendant’s— testified that following the stabbing, Concepcion called him informing him that he had injured his hand during the altercation and asked him to discard the scissors, which he had left at the crime scene. The friend discarded the scissor blades in a nearby alleyway, but left behind the scissor handles, which had broken off during the stabbing. Both the scissor handles and the blades—which tested positive for the victim’s blood— were recovered by police and submitted as evidence during the trial.

The defendant testified at trial that he was involved in an altercation with the victim; however he alleged that another man had delivered the fatal wound. Beyond the defendant, the defense did not produce any other additional witnesses or evidence to support the defendant’s allegations.

After six hours of deliberation, the jury found Conception guilty of aggravated manslaughter, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Concepcion will be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Mark Sandson on Nov. 21, 2013.

Aggravated manslaughter, a crime of the first-degree, carries a state prison sentence between 10-30 years and up to $200,000 in fines.

Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.   

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