FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Raymond Worrall
PHONE: (201) 795-6400 Ext. 6737
EMAIL: rworrall@hcpo.org
DATE: Monday, October 7, 2019
JERSEY CITY MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN STATE PRISON FOR AGGRAVATED MANSLAUGHTER
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:
On October 4, 2019, Superior Court Judge Mark Nelson sentenced Kevin Hodges, age 39, of Jersey City, to 25 years in state prison for two counts of Aggravated Manslaughter. Earlier this year, Hodges pleaded guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter related to the deaths of his mother, Rebecca Hodges, and grandmother, Dorothy Bradshaw, in the Arlington Gardens public housing complex in Jersey City on December 5, 2016. Hodges was sentenced to a 25-year prison term for the death of each victim, to be served concurrently.
The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act which requires Hodges to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
On December 5, 2016, at approximately 8:25 p.m., Jersey City Police Officers responded to 305 Randolph Avenue in Jersey City concerning a report of a woman in distress. Upon arrival, Jersey City Police Officers found two unresponsive female victims who had both sustained multiple stab wounds. The victims were later identified as Rebecca Hodges, age 56, and Dorothy Bradshaw, age 76, both of who were residents at that address. They were pronounced dead later that evening. Kevin Hodges, who was covered in blood, was apprehended by Jersey City Police Officers approximately one block from the scene.
Hodges, who prior to pleading guilty had pursued a diminished capacity defense, admitted to causing the death of his mother and grandmother under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life and while being under the influence of Phencyclidine, also known as PCP.
The State was represented in this case by Assistant Prosecutors Leonardo Rinaldi and Leo Hernandez of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit. The Honorable Mark Nelson, J.S.C., presided over the matter.