NEWARK, NJ — Lamont Stephenson, 46, has been sentenced to 31 and a half years in New Jersey State Prison for the murder of his fiancee, Olga “Ivy” DeJesus, and her dog, according to a July 29 press release from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
On June 17, Stephenson entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder for strangling his fiancee on Oct. 17, 2014, in her Newark home.
On the run for five years, Stephenson was on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list. He was captured after he allegedly killed a second woman in Washington, D.C. In addition to one count of first-degree murder, Stephenson also entered a guilty plea for one count of animal cruelty after admitting to strangling the family dog, Lola.
On July 29, presiding Criminal Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler imposed a 31.5-year sentence on Stephenson. He received 30 years for the murder of DeJesus and another 18 months for killing the dog. The sentences on each count are to be served consecutively, pursuant to the plea agreement. He must serve the entire sentence without possibility of parole.
Both the victim and the defendant attended Bloomfield Tech High School. They reconnected via Facebook when DeJesus and a classmate planned their 20th class reunion. While Stephenson didn’t attend the reunion, he reached out to DeJesus and the two began dating. He soon proposed marriage.
In June of this year, he admitted killing her because he had been fired from his job at Pep Boys, the auto parts and service store, and did not want to tell her. When he entered his guilty plea, he acknowledged, under questioning from Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller, who handled the case, that he pretended to go to work.
On Nov. 3, 2014, Stephenson was charged with her murder. For five years he concealed his identity and lived on the run.
On March 17, 2019, he was apprehended by police in Prince George’s County, Maryland, after he was charged with the murder of a new girlfriend, Natina Kiah, 40, whose body was discovered in her Washington, D.C., home. Kiah, a security guard at a homeless shelter, met Stephenson while he was living there under another name. She died from a stab wound. He is also accused of killing her cat. That case is pending and Stephenson is presumed innocent of these charges unless or until found guilty in a court of law.
“Incredibly, Stephenson brutally strangled Olga DeJesus because he did not have the courage to tell her he lost his job at Pep Boys. She trusted him, she loved him and he committed the ultimate act of betrayal by forcing her to look at his face while he placed both hands around her neck and forcefully strangled the life out of her. He then did the same to her beloved dog, Lola,” Miller said. “He then left their apartment and vanished for five years while the family of Ms. DeJesus lived with the worst kind of pain and unanswered questions, never abandoning their pursuit of justice for Olga. While they waited, Stephenson lived his life under an assumed name and on the run. Today, Stephenson has nowhere to run and he is now being held accountable for the horrible crimes he has committed. The sentence today demonstrates that we, as law enforcement, will not rest until defendants are brought to justice no matter how long it takes.”
About the Author
