NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office says it strongly disagrees with Gov. Phil Murphy’s decision to grant clemency to a woman convicted of killing her boyfriend over a decade ago.
Murphy ordered the release of five prisoners last week, one of whom was Paige Pfefferle of Audubon Park, convicted of killing her boyfriend, Matthew Hus, with a kitchen knife in 2010 when she was 19. She was released with five years probation as part of an initiative by Murphy to give second chances to people convicted of attacking their alleged abusers.
The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office says Pfefferle was not a battered woman; she was the batterer, and she has refused to accept responsibility for her actions by lying repeatedly to cover them up.
The prosecutor’s office said in post-conviction filings, Pfefferle tried to claim her attorneys were ineffective for even asserting Battered Woman Syndrome as a defense, and in doing so, prosecutors say she acknowledged her testimony about the abuse claims wasn’t truthful.
Pfefferle, in a statement through ACLU New Jersey, says she is grateful for clemency and will now advocate for those who suffer from mental health issues as well as women and girls who are victims of domestic abuse.
Murphy’s office has not responded to a request for comment.