Fugitive wanted for Jersey Shore murder captured in Maryland

Charlie Dwyer

LAKEWOOD, NJ – A Jersey Shore area man wanted for a the murder of a Lakewood woman has been captured in Maryland.


John Filistovich, 59, of Lakewood, has been charged with Murder in connection with the death of Betty Perry, 60, also of Lakewood.

On May 30, at around 12:15 p.m., the Lakewood Township Police responded to a residence on Thornbury Court to conduct a welfare check.

Upon entering the residence, officers discovered the lifeless body of a woman, later identified as Betty Perry, on the bedroom floor.


Following an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, the Lakewood Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, it was revealed that John Filistovich and Ms. Perry resided together and were in a dating relationship. It was also discovered that Ms. Perry’s 2015 Hyundai Elantra was missing from the residence.

Further information came to light when detectives received a report that Maryland State Troopers had encountered John Filistovich on the side of the road near Salisbury, Maryland, driving the victim’s vehicle. Filistovich was subsequently taken to a local medical facility in Salisbury and charged with Theft related to the unlawful taking of Ms. Perry’s vehicle.

The Ocean County Medical Examiner conducted a post-mortem examination on May 31, determining the cause of Ms. Perry’s death to be blunt force injuries to the head, neck, and chest, with asphyxiation. The manner of death was classified as homicide.

On June 1, after being released from the medical facility in Salisbury, Maryland, John Filistovich was apprehended and taken into custody. He was then transferred to the Wicomico County Corrections Center in Salisbury. Following his extradition to New Jersey, Filistovich will be held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

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