Authorities say a man has admitted that he fatally stabbed a woman he wanted to date inside a Newark home where they both lived.
Essex County prosecutors say 40-year-old Ito Lightford had become increasingly obsessed with 34-year-old Talia Capri Nesmith. Lightford lived in a basement apartment in the home where Nesmith had lived for more than a decade with her grandmother.
Lightford pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and will be sentenced Jan. 26. Prosecutors say his plea bargain calls for Lightford to serve at least 30 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
Nesmith, the mother of a year-old son, was stabbed on Sept. 24 and died that day at a hospital. Prosecutors say Lightford had called 911 and reported that someone had broken into the house.
