SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Pair indicted in murder case

by Davy James, Staff Writer
   A township man and his girlfriend have been indicted on murder and related charges in the slayings of the man’s parents.
   Michael A. Maltese, 20, of 14 Maple Ave. in the Monmouth Mobile Home Park, is accused of strangling his mother, Kathleen Maltese, 53, and father, Michael J. Maltese, 58, with his hands and burying them in a shallow grave in Beech Woods Park on Beekman Road on Oct. 8, 2008. The couple’s bodies were discovered on Oct. 25.
   The 12-count indictment, handed down Feb. 6, charges Mr. Maltese and his girlfriend, Nicole Taylor, 18, with murder, theft, unauthorized use of the couple’s credit cards, tampering with physical evidence and hindering, among other charges.
   Mr. Maltese and Ms. Taylor have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are being held at Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick, Mr. Maltese in lieu of $2 million bail and Ms. Taylor in lieu of $1 million bail.
   Police said Mr. Maltese and his sister, Leela, who has not been charged, reported their parents missing Oct. 17, telling police they had not seen them since Oct. 10. The South Brunswick Police Department, the Middlesex County prosecutor’s office and New Jersey State Police Missing Person Unit began an investigation.
   According to a press release issued by police and the prosecutor’s office, “probable cause was developed that defendant Maltese had provided false information to law enforcement authorities.” He was charged with one count of false swearing Oct. 18 and released on his own recognizance.
   Further investigation determined that “the victims were murdered by their son, Michael, in their home during the early morning of Oct. 8,” the release said.
   Police said the bodies were taken to Beech Woods Park and “buried in a shallow grave.” Police said that Mr. Maltese and Ms. Taylor stole the victims’ credit card after the murder. Police said the older Maltese was a self-employed truck driver and that his wife assisted him in his business. The younger Maltese was unemployed and Ms. Taylor worked at the Stop & Shop supermarket on Route 1.
   Mr. Maltese and Ms. Taylor allegedly ran up a $27,000 bill on the victims’ credit cards, purchasing items including DVDs, sporting goods and an engagement ring, with purchases made at Wal-Mart, Barnes and Noble, EB Games and Pierre’s Restaurant and Deli, according to Middlesex prosecutor’s office public information officer Jim O’Neill.
   Prosecutors have not detailed Ms. Taylor’s involvement in the murders. She faces charges identical to those Mr. Maltese faces.