Samantha Massimino (Photo: Ocean County Jail)
A Toms River woman who stabbed her boyfriend to death during a domestic dispute in 2020 has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in his death, with prosecutors announcing they will seek a seven-year prison term for the 36-year-old.
Samantha Massimino stabbed her boyfriend, Reinaldo Feliciano, Jr., 35, also of Toms River, in the early morning hours of October 24, 2020, according to authorities. Police received a call at about 4 a.m. reporting the incident, “in reference to a male victim having been stabbed,” prosecutors said in a statement. Feliciano had been stabbed in the leg, the caller stated.
Township police and county investigators, piecing together the details of the case, found Massimino and Feliciano, who had previously been in a dating relationship, became involved in a physical altercation at a residence. During the course of the argument, Massimino “retrieved a knife and ultimately stabbed Mr. Feliciano in the leg,” the statement said.
Feliciano was transported to Community Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 4:45 a.m. Massimino was taken into custody at the scene and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where she has been lodged since her arrest.
Massimino is due to the be sentenced July 7 before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan. Prosecutors will be seeking seven years in state prison, of which Massimino will be required to serve 85 percent.
