Marlboro man, 33, accused
of murdering girlfriend, 18
By larry ramer
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Authorities believe a young woman from Elizabeth, Union County, who had been reported missing in July was murdered by her boyfriend, a Marlboro resident.
Prosecutors have charged William Bozarth, 33, of Marlboro, with murder. Bozarth, who resides at 41 Wyncrest Road, has been placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, in lieu of $2 million bail. Authorities said they believe Bozarth murdered Agnieszka "Agnes" Teofanidis, 18.
Bozarth, whom authorities believe was involved in Satanic activities, was charged with first-degree murder after police located a decomposed human body buried in the back yard of the home of Bozarth’s parents, where the accused murderer also lived.
The body was discovered Aug. 6 after police obtained a search warrant for the home.
Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said at a press conference conducted in his office on Aug. 7 that authorities believe the decomposed body they found was Teofanidis but are awaiting DNA test results before charging Bozarth with the murder of Teofanidis.
Meanwhile, Bozarth is being charged with "the murder of another." Authorities have theorized that the person found in the back yard of Bozarth’s residence was strangled, due to neck compression found on the body, Kaye said. Police and prosecutors said they are certain that Bozarth’s parents, who they believe were out of town when the murder allegedly occurred, had nothing to do with the crime and did not know about it.
As of Aug. 7, authorities were unable to provide an exact date of death for the person discovered in Bozarth’s back yard.
Teofanidis, who had been listed as a missing person since July 14, was dating Bozarth, whom she met on the Internet, for more than a year, Kaye said.
Bozarth was Teofanidis’ first boyfriend, Kaye added. The prosecutor said Bozarth thought his girlfriend was overweight and he controlled her use of food during their time together. Kaye also described Bozarth as being "into occult and Satanism and lots of other extreme beliefs and conduct."
On July 12, Bozarth picked up Teofanidis in his vehicle, Kaye said. Teofanidis was scheduled to return home the next day. Later, Bozarth spoke with Teofanidis’ mother and told her the couple had had an argument about Bozarth seeing other women, Kaye said. Bozarth told the girl’s mother he had dropped the young woman off at a fast-food restaurant in Elizabeth, the prosecutor said.
Authorities received a search warrant to examine Bozarth’s residence on Aug. 6, partially based on inconsistencies between Teofanidis’ mother’s story and Bozarth’s version of events, Kaye said. In addition, authorities interviewed people who said they saw Teofanidis in Marlboro after Bozarth said he had dropped her off in Elizabeth, Kaye said.
Marlboro police, Elizabeth police, Monmouth County prosecutors and New Jersey state police arrived at Bozarth’s house on the afternoon of Aug. 6. Police spotted a slight discoloration of the grass in Bozarth’s backyard near a shed. The police used a special instrument called a forensic probe to determine that a human body was lying underneath the ground. The height and weight of the body, as well as the jewelry that was found on it, all strongly suggest that the victim is Teofanidis, Kaye said.
After making that discovery, police received permission from an assistant Monmouth County prosecutor to arrest Bozarth, who was sitting in a car nearby with his parents.
"As the police approached the vehicle, Bozarth reached and grabbed a 3-inch knife, rammed it into his arm and ripped the knife so that veins and other things came out," Kaye said.
The injury was not serious, but it was extremely bloody and surprised police, the prosecutor said.
Even though Bozarth lifted weights, he allegedly buried the victim only between 3 and 12 inches below the ground, Kaye said.
When Marlboro Police Chief Robert Holmes was asked why he thought the victim was not buried deeper or in a different location, he said, "It could be a case of either laziness or stupidity" on the part of Bozarth.
Authorities said Bozarth had spent time in prison for cemetery descriptions he had committed as young adult. Holmes noted that one time, Bozarth had come to his home and burned his Ford Bronco.
"We needed this person off the street and now we have closure," Holmes said. Asked whether he was surprised that this type of crime could happen in an upper middle class town like Marlboro, Holmes said, "No, unfortunately, this could have happened anywhere."