ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Marylue Wigglesworth, 53, has been sentenced to six years in state prison after pleading guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her husband, David B. Wigglesworth, on Christmas Day 2022. The sentencing was announced this week by the New Jersey court system.
Wigglesworth, who accepted a plea deal in early June, admitted to the killing of her 53-year-old husband, a union member, Republican Party activist, and former candidate for local office in Mercer County. Under the terms of the agreement, she was sentenced on Tuesday by Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Wild.
As part of her sentence, Wigglesworth will be required to serve just over five years and one month before becoming eligible for parole, in accordance with the No Early Release Act. This sentencing reflects a negotiated outcome between the defense and prosecution, in which both parties agreed on a six-year term, avoiding the uncertainty of a trial that could have led to a first-degree murder charge.
The case gained attention due to the severity of the charges and the legal proceedings that followed. Judge Wild twice denied bail for Wigglesworth, citing the “severity” of the crime and the “presumption of detention” under New Jersey’s criminal justice reform laws. These laws, reformed in 2017, largely eliminate cash bail, especially in cases involving violent crimes, where there is a presumption in favor of detention rather than pretrial release.
Wigglesworth’s sentencing marks the end of a legal process that began with her arrest following the 2022 Christmas Day shooting. The plea deal allowed her to avoid a potentially harsher sentence that could have resulted from a trial.
