Convicted Killer Freed After New Jersey Murder Charge Dismissed

A convicted killer has been released from prison after an appeals court overturned his murder conviction, ruling that key evidence was obtained illegally.

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The original crime occurred nearly a decade ago. Timothy Wright, 45, was convicted in 2022 of the 2014 murder of Joyce Vanderhoff, 25, in Mays Landing, Atlantic County.

According to the court, Vanderhoff had been strangled to death. Evidence on Wright's cell phone was used in the trial. The court sentenced Wright to 55 years behind bars.

Prosecutors Cite New Evidence in Dropping Case

Then this past May, an appellate court found that Wright had withdrawn his consent for detectives to keep and search his phone, meaning the key evidence used to convict him should never have been admitted.

According to a Patch article, "A trial judge ruled that holding onto the phone for a month with no warrant was lawful and even justified, documents say. But the appeals court ruled that the phone evidence should have been suppressed and Wright's conviction overturned."

According to reports, "Critical evidence from Wright's cell phone showed turn-by-turn driving directions from a spot near where Vanderhoff's naked body was found tangled in briar and vegetation to Wright's home in Pennsylvania, time-stamped the night before her body was discovered. "

Wright spent six years in prison. The case was dismissed without prejudice, so Wright could be charged again if stronger evidence is discovered in the case.