The 25-year-old Kearny woman who was brutally attacked by an East Rutherford man Dec. 17 has succumbed to her injuries and the accused’s charges have been upgraded, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office announced last week.
Monet Thomas, of Kearny, died (from injuries sustained 11 days earlier) at Hackensack University Medical Center on Dec. 28, the BCPO said.
Francis Tattoli, who was arrested Dec. 18 by the BCPO’s Major Crimes Unit’s Homicide Squad, now stands accused of murder, felony murder and kidnapping, the prosecutor’s office said. Tattoli was originally charged with attempted murder.
Tattoli is being held at the Bergen County Jail on a total of $5 million bail, with no 10% option. His first appearance on the new charges is 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 3, in Room 412 at the Bergen County Court House, Hackensack. Tattoli had previous pleaded not guilty to the attempted-murder charges.
The BCPO offered the following account of what happened with Tattoli and Thomas:
On Saturday, Dec. 17, the BCPO said it received information from the East Rutherford Police Department that a woman had been attacked at 258 Summer St., a multi-unit dwelling in East Rutherford.
The victim, Thomas, was found unresponsive and was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center where, until Dec. 28, she had been in critical condition.
An investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Squad and the East Rutherford Police Department revealed that on Saturday, Dec. 17, Thomas had visited an acquaintance in a different apartment at 258 Summer St.
Shortly after 9 p.m. that night, Thomas left that apartment.
Upon her return a short time later, Tattoli reportedly attacked her, including with a knife. Her body was later discovered just inside the doorway of Tattoli’s first-floor apartment.
Tattoli reportedly then fled his apartment, but was soon apprehended by East Rutherford police a short distance from his home.
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.