Man charged for previously unsolved june murder

DOVER, NJ – Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker, and Deputy Chief Jonathan Delaney of the Dover Police Department announce the arrest of Jose Elizondo-Mena, age 51, of Dover, New Jersey.

On June 4, 2020, law enforcement received information regarding a deceased male in a wooded area of Dover, N.J. Police discovered the deceased body of a male, subsequently identified as C.R.R., in a wooded area located at the end of Monmouth Avenue. Morris County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Carlos Fonseca, M.D., performed an autopsy on C.R.R. and identified fractures on both orbital bones, right cheek, and lower right skull. Dr. Fonseca determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma of the head and face, and the manner of death to be homicide.

Further investigation led to Jose Elizondo-Mena as a suspect in the homicide. Members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit traced Elizondo-Mena’s movements to other parts of New Jersey and later to Michigan. With the assistance of local law enforcement in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Elizondo-Mena was arrested on August 13, 2020.

Elizondo-Mena has been charged with second degree Manslaughter and third degree Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purpose. Elizondo-Mena remains at the Morris County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Multiple agencies contributed to the investigation and arrest of Elizondo-Mena, including the Kalamazoo (Michigan) Department of Public Safety, the Town of Dover Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Fugitive Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit.

If anyone has any information related to this investigation, they are encouraged to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200, or the Town of Dover Police Department at 973-366-0302.

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