190 years in prison: NJ man guilty of killing ex-girlfriends in front of kids

NEWARK — A man convicted of murdering two ex-girlfriends and the new boyfriend of one of them has been sentenced to 190 years in prison.

Jeffrey Holland was convicted in December of the murders and other counts including burglary, theft, desecration of human remains and other counts. He was sentenced Tuesday.

Essex County prosecutors say the 30-year-old East Orange man choked and drowned 21-year-old Tiniquah Rouse in her bathtub in January 2016. Holland then took Rouse’s 5-month-old baby and left the child inside a closet, authorities said.

They say that the next day, he kicked in the door of an apartment and shot 23-year-old Ashley Jones and 28-year-old Jararell Marshall. The two were shot "steps away from three children." Two of the children — the 1 and 4-year-old — were his. Marshal was the father of a 3-year-old at the scene.

Holland testified that Rouse's death was an accident, and he denied having anything to do with the other slayings.

At the time of the murders, Jones had a restraining order against Holland.