Jennifer Whipple was an IT professional who worked for the business consulting company Navigant

A 27-year-old Winslow Township man has been charged with murder after authorities found his aunt dead in the apartment they shared, authorities said.

Police suspected Shane Whipple of the crime after learning that he may have fought with his aunt, Jennifer Whipple, on Thursday, according to a statement from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Shane Whipple 

Jennifer Whipple, an information technologist who worked for the business consulting company Navigant, was found dead by Winslow Township police on Saturday, the office said. She had "extensive trauma to her body and face," the statement said.

Her father had asked police to check on her at her Taylor Woods apartment. "The request came when Jennifer's father had been unable to reach his daughter for almost two days after he spoke with her Thursday evening about a fight that occurred between her and Shane Whipple earlier that day," the release said.

Police learned that he had been inside the apartment he shared with his aunt Friday and left later that evening, the release said. 

The prosecutor's office released Shane Whipple's photograph Monday, asking anyone who saw him to call 911 because investigators were looking to speak with him. Police took him into custody Route 70 and North Locust Street in Evesham Township shortly after noon Monday. 

He was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday. He is being held in the Camden County Correctional Facility until a hearing to determine whether he will be detained or released pending trial, the prosecutor's office said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Amber Dudley was shot dead when another victim fought with the gunman Watch video

Two men involved in a robbery gone wrong in East Trenton that left a Camden County woman dead two years ago pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon for their roles in the crime.

Andrew Alston, 40, and triggerman Ronderrick Manuel, 44, pleaded guilty to amended charges for the killing of 27-year-old Amber Dudley, a week before their trial was scheduled to start in Mercer County Superior Court.

Dudley was a passenger in a vehicle operating under the rideshare service Lyft that prosecutors have said was lured to the area of East Trenton and Mechanics avenues on Nov. 30, 2016.

The robbery target - a man who authorities have never named publicly - was one of four people in the car, including Dudley, another, unnamed woman and the Lyft driver.

When they arrived in East Trenton, Manuel got into the car intending to rob the man. Manuel and the victim got into an altercation and the gun went, off killing Dudley, according to Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Grillo. 

The Lyft driver sped away and pulled over in front of Trenton Police Department headquarters on North Clinton Avenue when he saw patrol cars, police said. Dudley died at a city hospital a short time later.

In court, Manuel admitted to shooting Dudley during the confrontation and pleaded guilty to first degree aggravated manslaughter.

The prosecutor's office recommends he be sentenced to 30 years in state prison subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA).

Alston, who's home was used to plan the robbery with his codefendant's, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and weapons charges. 

Prosecutors recommend he be sentenced to 16 years for the robbery and seven years for the weapons charge to be served concurrently.

Alston and Manuel had both been indicted on the charge of felony murder.

Three others have been charged in the Dudley killing: Kasey DeZolt, Dominique Richter and Douglas Mathis.

Richter pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by unlawful taking in September.

Mathis allegedly drove Manuel to East Trenton the night of the crime, the prosecutor's office has said.

All three of the codefendants who agreed to plead guilty must cooperate with the prosecutor's office, including testifying against their remaining defendants if they go to trial, the office said.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook 

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In each instance, he disabled lights and alarms, went for safes or offices, and didn't leave fingerprints, police said.

New Jersey was the site of the first true American football game of any kind, anywhere

In 2014, when Super Bowl XLVIII was held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the weather could have been an issue. After all, the stadium has no roof and temperatures in New Jersey can be brutal in February. But, the weather was a non-issue; it was a mild 49 degrees in East Rutherford on that Sunday.

Toasty.Courtesy of minutemediacdn.com 

According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (profootballhof.com), that wasn't the lowest game-time temperature for an outdoor Super Bowl; Super Bowl XLVI - the Giants played in that one - was held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and started at a temperature of 44 degrees. And Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans kicked off in balmy 39 degrees.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

The Super Bowl held in New Jersey added to the state's rich tradition in the sport. Of course, football, began in New Jersey with Rutgers and Princeton in 1869; often referred to as "The Birthplace of College Football," the Rutgers-Princeton game in New Brunswick is seen by the Professional Football Researchers Association as the first true American football game of any kind, anywhere.

New Jersey high school football has an equally lengthy tradition. The Lawrenceville School began an annual tradition of playing the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa., in 1887; Vineland and Millville high schools began their Thanksgiving Day game tradition in 1893.

And, notwithstanding their names, New Jersey has been home to two professional football teams since the 1970s.

Here's a gallery of vintage football teams, players and venues from all around New Jersey. And here are links to other galleries you might enjoy.

Vintage photos of fun and games in N.J.

Vintage photos of amusement parks, circuses and fairs in N.J.

Vintage photos of N.J. Americana

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

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A cup of herring was all she needed to make the pick. Watch video

A decidedly partisan pep rally was held at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden on Thursday ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots.

The animals got into the act with a little help from their handlers.

Little blue penguins hosted a party on Little Blue Beach. Three enormous sea turtles bobbed for green, football-shaped ice blocks in the Ocean Realm exhibit as dozens of other sea creatures, including a hammerhead shark zipped by.

Two divers dropped into the tank with waterproof signs urging the Birds, the football kind, to "Fly Eagles Fly!"

Two massive hippos defied gravity as they effortlessly glided through the water in their exhibit to tear at ice blocks stuffed with green leafy veggies.

The rally ended with Octavia, a 2-year-old Pacific octopus, displaying her prognosticative skill by picking the winner of Super Bowl LII. There was hardly a drum roll needed before Octavia chose a cup of herring in an Eagles mug over an equal amount of herring in a Patriots mug.

Octavia's handler Samantha Ehinger said she gave the Giant Pacific Octopus a pep-talk before the pick.

"I told her I've been an Eagles' fan all of my life and I know that you're only 2-years-old but pick well. Even though she can't hear, she listened."

The Eagles are 4.5 point underdogs to the Patriots, which means odds makers are expecting New England to win by more than four points. But don't tell that to the locals at the aquarium.

"Our animals and most of our staff are definitely rooting for the hometown team," said Deanna Sabac, an aquarium spokeswoman. "We thought today's animal pep rally would be a fun way to show our support as the Eagles head to the Super Bowl."

The aquarium is minutes from downtown Philadelphia on the Camden Waterfront and features exhibits with more than 8,500 aquatic species throughout 2 million gallons of water. It boast sof being home to the largest collection of sharks on the East Coast, including the only great hammerhead shark on exhibit in the country and the only aquarium in the world to exhibit hippos.

Key info and a prediction for every sectional bracket

The wife received a year while her husband received six momths

A South Jersey couple who tried to bribe SEPTA officials to get a contract were sentenced to prison on Wednesday.

Nazik Modawi received a year for offering two bribes while her husband, Abboud Wali, got six month, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Pennsylvania's Eastern District said in a statement. 

The pair owned Rides, Inc. and Safe Rides, LLC, which provided transportation services for children and adults with special needs.

In November 2016, the couple offered a cash payment of $5,000 to an employee they asked to speed up the approval of their application to be a part of SEPTA's disadvantaged business enterprise program. Businesses need to be certified to land government contracts.

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The employee reported the bribe. The following month, Modawi offered a second $5,000 bribe.

In handing out the sentence, U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III said bribing public officials, "strikes at the heart of our democracy."

Both were charged with bribery and conspiracy in August,  

The couple live in Gloucester Township.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

This suspect knew there was going to be a robbery but he wasn't present when it happened Watch video

A fourth person has pleaded guilty to their role in a robbery that turned into a shooting in Trenton that took the life a Camden County woman in 2016.

Douglas Mathis, 53, of Trenton pleaded guilty to second degree robbery Friday. 

In Mercer County Superior Court, Mathis admitted to being at suspect Andrew Alston's home the night of the robbery and being asked to drive gunman Ronderrick Manuel to the robbery location in East Trenton.

Alston, 40, and Manuel, 44, pleaded guilty earlier this week.

Amber Dudley, 27, was a passenger in a vehicle operating under the rideshare service Lyft that prosecutors have said was lured to the area of East Trenton and Mechanics avenues on Nov. 30, 2016.

Mathis said he knew there was going to be a robbery but he wasn't present when Manuel began to rob the victims.

Amber Dudley

He later found out that Dudley had been killed when Manuel and the robbery target - a man who authorities have never named publicly- got into an altercation as Manuel tried to rob them.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Grillo recommended that Mathis be sentenced to seven years in state prison subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), which would require Mathis to serve at least five years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Once released Mathis will be required to complete three years of probation.

Mathis is one of five accused of being part of the crime. In addition to him, and Alston and Manuel, are Dominique Richter, 31, of Hamilton; and Kasey DeZolt, 32, of Morrisville, Pa.

Richter pleaded guilty to third-degree theft by unlawful taking in September.

If DeZolt's case goes to trial, her co-defendants are expected to testify against her, as outlined in their plea agreements. 

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook 

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The Eagles take on the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 Sunday. Watch video

Neither the students or staff at J. Harvey Rodgers School in Glassboro could contain their excitement for Super Bowl LII.

They have a special connection to one of the players playing in the big game Sunday: Eagles running back Corey Clement once attended this school.

The staff had special t-shirts made, bearing the number 30 for Clement, a 2013 graduate of Glassboro High School.

Many of the pre-k and kindergarten students had special cheers they practiced throughout the week and performed during Friday's pep rally, including the lyrics below set to the tune of "Oh My Darlin' Clementine":

"Corey Clement, Corey Clement, we are filled with Bulldog pride. We are happy and excited as we watch our Eagles fly."

Other Glassboro schools held pep rallies throughout the day. At Dorothy L. Bullock School, the first- through third-graders played some Eagles-themed games. The pep rally for the seventh- and eighth-graders at Glassboro Intermediate School featured dance, music and creative activities.

The high schoolers also participated in their own pep rally, which included an Eagles chant competition and the playing of "Fly Eagles Fly" by the band. 

Clement attended the University of Wisconsin, where he played for four years and was a member of the winningest senior class in Badgers history (41-13, .759). Clement rushed for 3,092 career yards and in his senior year, received first-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's coaches.

The Eagles signed Clement as an undrafted free agent during the 2017 offseason and was the only undrafted rookie to make the Eagles' opening-day, 53-man roster.

Clement scored six touchdowns in the 2017 regular season.

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

A couple managed to pull off the wedding of their dreams just weeks after a fire devastated their apartment, thanks to the help of a new reality show on TLC, "Say Yes: Wedding SOS"

A South Jersey couple managed to pull off the wedding of their dreams just weeks after a fire devastated their apartment, thanks to the help of friends, family and the style gurus behind a new reality wedding show. 

"Say Yes: Wedding SOS" premiered on TLC late last month. Episodes typically follow couples who have let their appearances go in favor of careers or caring for families, and provide them with makeovers before their big day, according to a news release. 

But last fall, the crew took on the case of 27-year-old Brittany McCarson-Bowers and her then-fiance Justin Bowers, 29, who had lost nearly everything in an apartment fire and needed some extra pampering. 

The two were both working one night in September just weeks before their wedding -- she as a mental health therapist, and he as a telemetry technician. When each finally got a break to check their phones, they learned their Blackwood apartment had been severely damaged by an electrical fire. 

"Our wedding was only three weeks away," McCarson-Bowers said in a phone interview Friday. "We were planning for two years." 

Luckily, firefighters were able to save their dog, a six-pound Chihuahua named Tequila, she said. But nearly everything else was lost, and the apartment ruined.

As the days to their October wedding ticked down, the couple struggled to balance typical last-minute wedding snafus along with careers and the aftermath of the blaze. 

McCarson-Bowers' hairdresser, who had heard of the new show following a casting call, suggested the couple to producers. A few interviews later, and with just days to spare, TLC selected them and got the cameras rolling. 

"It was a lot of mixed emotions," said McCarson-Bowers. "We didn't think it was real, we thought we were being hoaxed again." 

But on their scheduled date, October 20, she was walking down the aisle, and two tield the knot as planned. 

"Luckily, so many people came together to help us get everything to stay on track," she said. 

And with that help, she said, the wedding turned out even better than planned. 

For now, the couple is living with Bowers' parents as the house hunt. Despite the setback, McCarson-Bowers said the newlyweds are enjoying their first months of marriage. 

"We've never been happier," she said. 

The episode featuring McCarson-Bowers and Bowers' wedding will air Saturday at 9 p.m. EST. 

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

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Carlos Alicea-Antonetti was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of Fatima Perez in May 2014. Watch video

Carlos Aliciea- Antonetti, a landscaper working in Camden, learned the morning of May 12, 2014 that one of his former clients was thinking of buying a car, and had the cash for the purchase at home.

Hours later, prosecutors say, he and an employee were driving around Cherry Hill and Pennsauken, making purchases with the $8,000 that Fatima Perez had saved for her new car.

As they spent her money, Perez was tied up in the backseat of the van with duct tape over her mouth and eyes.

As they spent her money, Perez was tied up in the backseat of the van, duct tape over her mouth and eyes. Hours later, they drove her to a wooded area in Monroe Township, Gloucester County, where he dug a shallow grave, placed her in it, and covered her with dirt, lime, an old tire and other branches and debris. 

Two days after she was reported missing, Ramon Ortiz, the employee in the van with Alicea-Antonetti, took authorities to the gravesite.

Ortiz, 60, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in July 2016. A jury found Alicea-Antonetti guilty in December.

In Judge Gwendolyn Blue's courtroom Friday, Perez's relatives read statements before Blue sentenced Antonetti on murder, kidnapping and robbery charges. 

Perez's sister, Vanessa Sing, said that despite what had happened to her sister who was loved so dearly, she did not feel hatred toward Antonetti.

She described speaking with him on the phone pleading for him to return Perez.

"At the end, you just hung up the phone on me," she said.

"I can honestly tell you, I don't hate you," Sing said. "But that doesn't mean I don't wish you the worst in your miserable life."

"I'm glad there's no death penalty in New Jersey," she continued. "I want thoughts of what you did to torture you before you go to sleep at night."

Fatima Perez seen at a family event in a photo shown at the sentencing on Friday.Joe Brandt | For NJ.com 

Besides the three statements, the judge was also shown a slideshow of photos of Perez with her family. At barbecues, birthday parties. Celebrating the New Year 2011.

The family members packing the courtroom appeared shocked when Alicea-Antonetti, through a court interpreter, denied any involvement in the murder.

"The truth is that I do not have remorse. Yes, it causes me pain to know what happened to Fatima Perez, because I'm a human and it hurts. But I don't have any remorse because I did not kill Fatima Perez.

"You are entitled to your opinion," Blue said. "But every decision I make in my courtroom is based on the facts before me." At another point in the proceeding she noted that there was "overwhelming" evidence in support of Alicea-Antonetti's conviction.

Blue handed down a sentence of life without parole in a maximum security facility on the murder charge, along with other sentences on the robbery and kidnapping charges.

Both the judge and assistant prosecutor Christine Shah remarked during the proceeding that they had never seen such a brutal incident in all their years of experience.

Blue commended Perez's family, particularly her daughter Jennifer Garcia, for facing Alicea-Antonetti despite the immense emotional pain they were feeling. Garcia read a letter from her 10-year-old brother, who was seven when Perez was murdered.

"Don't let this man end your sister's legacy," Blue said. "Keep it going ... Don't let a decision that this man made control who you are."

Alicea-Antonetti, who was represented by a public defender, will spend his sentence in a maximum security facility.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The victim was trying to protect a woman and her toddler, authorities said.

A 27-year-old Camden man was sentenced to 58 years in prison Friday for murdering a Good Samaritan who intervened in a domestic dispute.

Brandon Mosby was beating his ex-girlfriend in the common area of a boarding house in Audubon in March 2014 when another resident, John Carey, stepped in to defend the woman and her toddler, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said.

Mosby shot Carey, 48, and he died from his injuries, the office said.

Mosby's girlfriend had attempted to end their relationship on March 4, 2014, prosecutors said. Mosby beat his girlfriend in front of her toddler, and the dispute spilled into the common area of the boarding house, the office said.

Carey was shot when he tried to protect the woman and child from Mosby, the office said. A jury in October found Mosby guilty of murder and related weapons charges.

Judge Frederick Schuck sentenced him in Superior Court in Camden. He will have to serve at least 46 1/2 years of his 58-year term before he will be eligible for parole, the prosecutor's office said.

At that point, Mosby will be 73 years old.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Authorities say Shane Whipple, 27, killed his aunt a day after she kicked him out.

Jennifer Whipple tried to call police just before her nephew arrived at her apartment and killed her, authorities said Friday.

Prosecutors believe Shane Whipple, 27, killed his aunt in her bedroom Jan. 26, a day after she kicked him out of her Winslow Township apartment due to an argument. Police found her lying in a pool of blood with serious head injuries Jan. 27 while doing a well-being check, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Shane Whipple (Courtesy of Camden County Prosecutor's Office)

Shane Whipple was arrested Monday in Evesham Township and charged with murder. On Friday, Judge Edward McBride ordered him held, pending trial.

Public Defender Meg Butler said in court that her client denies the killing and was only at the apartment Jan. 26 to pick up his belongings.

Shane Whipple had lived with his aunt in her Taylor Woods apartment for about a year before they had a serious argument Jan. 25, according to statements from Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah and in the prosecutor's probable cause statement. 

Jennifer Whipple called police and wanted her nephew removed from her apartment, prosecutor's office Detective Matthew Barber wrote in the probable cause statement.

"During this encounter, Ms. Whipple reported she was afraid of Shane Whipple," Barber wrote. She reported her nephew had told her to "put a knife in her throat" when they were arguing, the statement said.

Officers supervised as Shane Whipple collected some belongings and left, Barber said.

Jennifer Whipple told her father that she declined to press charges or to get a restraining order, according to the prosecutor's office.

The next day, Shane Whipple returned to the apartment, authorities said. It's not clear whether Jennifer Whipple knew he was coming at the time, but Barber wrote that her cell phone records show she called the number listed on the police department's website at 4:48 p.m.

The number is for the Winslow Township office building, which was closed because it was Saturday. Shah said she was probably trying to reach police, but did not speak with anyone.

Three minutes after her call, Shane Whipple texted her, "I'm coming up," Barber wrote in his statement.

Surveillance video footage shows Shane Whipple went to the apartment around 4:50 p.m. and left about 11 minutes later, Barber wrote. The neighbor said he saw someone who looked like Shane Whipple standing at Jennifer Whipple's apartment door while someone placed plastic bags outside the door, the statement said.

Authorities have not revealed a theory about how Whipple killed his aunt. The probable cause statement said only that Whipple's death was caused by sharp and blunt force trauma to the head. 

Police found Jennifer Whipple Jan. 27 inside her unlocked apartment after her father asked for a well-being check. He told police he hadn't been able to reach his daughter in the two days since she told him of her argument with her nephew.

The prosecutor's office released Shane Whipple's photo Monday, and he was pulled over around noon in Evesham Township. Police found camouflage pants and black shoes, both with blood on them, in his car's trunk. The clothes match those he was wearing when he was kicked out Jan. 25 and when he went back to the apartment Jan. 26, Barber wrote.

Meg Butler, the public defender, said in court that Shane Whipple acknowledges the argument happened but was only at the apartment to get his things. After picking them up, Butler said, he went to Atlantic City to drive for Uber.

An Uber spokesman confirmed that Shane Whipple drove for the company, adding that Whipple lost his access to the Uber app as soon as staff learned of the charges.

Shah said Shane Whipple has several past convictions from other states. When he was arrested, it was clear he had not bathed in days and was essentially living out of his car, she said.

"She was the only one who was willing to take him in," Shah said of Jennifer Whipple.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Where is your team in the power points report?

Take a look at the girls basketball power points as of the cutoff date.