MAYS LANDING – A Pleasantville man was indicted today for murder and the desecration of human remains, in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found by a hunter in a wooded area of Egg Harbor Township in January of 2014, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.
Today, July 1, 2015, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Steven R. Stallworth, 28, of the 600 block of Noah’s Landing, Pleasantville, for the murder between July 31, 2013 and December 1, 2013, of Tara Rogers Alicea, 30, of Monroeville, NJ—a crime of the 1st degree, and the desecration of her remains—a 2nd degree crime.
On Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a hunter found human remains in the woods behind the Shore Mall site near Broadway Avenue in Egg Harbor Township. The hunter contacted a municipal police officer in Atlantic County, and law enforcement responded to the scene.
The remains—recovered in an advanced stage of decomposition—were collected by the New Jersey State Medical Examiner’s Office.
The victim, Tara Rogers Alicea, was identified from photographs of tattoos that were released to the public within days of her body’s recovery. Detectives subsequently confirmed the identification through fingerprint analysis.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office, in consultation with a State Medical Anthropologist, determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation by strangulation, and ruled her death a homicide.
A joint investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with the assistance of the Pleasantville Police Department, culminated in the arrest of Stallworth on August 5, 2014. Detectives arrested Stallworth without incident in Mays Landing at approximately 9:40 a.m.
Stallworth was charged and lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility where he has remained, in lieu of $2,000,000 full cash bail set by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury.
A conviction for murder carries a potential penalty of incarceration in New Jersey State prison for 30 years to life. The potential penalty for a 2nd degree conviction for the desecration of human remains is 5 to 10 years of imprisonment.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy represents the State in the matter.
This charge is an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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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