What to Know
- A New Jersey man is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea to manslaughter in the stabbing death of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend
- Prosecutors said the victim broke up with the suspect, but agreed to talk to him outside a Long Branch home. Minutes later, she stumbled into the home and collapsed with multiple stab wounds
- Authorities said the defendant had tried to call or text Wells more than 230 times in the nine hours before her death
A New Jersey man is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea to manslaughter in the stabbing death of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend.
Defense attorney Adam Weisberg said 21-year-old Bryan Cordero-Castro filed the motion in Monmouth County Superior Court earlier this month, NJ.com reports. He declined to discuss his client's reasoning.
The Long Branch resident pleaded guilty two months ago to first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of Madison Wells.
Prosecutors have said that the victim had broken up with Cordero-Castro but agreed to talk to him outside a Long Branch home in September 2018. Several minutes later, authorities said, Wells stumbled into the living room and collapsed with multiple stab wounds.
Authorities said the defendant had tried to call or text Wells more than 230 times in the nine hours before her death.
Prosecutors said they had agreed to recommend a 30-year manslaughter sentence and a five-year consecutive term on an attempted escape charge.