A Hudson County corrections officer was charged with killing his girlfriend and her friend. The victims were found shot Tuesday night in separate locations in Newark, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.

Police first found the body of Anna Shpilberg, 40, of Randolph, about 9 p.m. in the passenger seat of her car at Edison Place and Bruen Street near Newark Penn Station.

Police soon learned that the body of Luiza Shinkarevskaya, 40, of Riverdale, was on the sidewalk on the 100 block of Haynes Avenue near Newark Liberty International Airport.

Shpilberg was dating John Menendez, 24, of West New York, who was charged with two counts of murder and weapons offenses. Shinkarevskaya was a friend of Shpilberg.

Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, would not say Wednesday whether investigators knew of a motive or had more details about how the killings unfolded.

A LinkedIn page for an Anna Shpilberg said she is a dental hygienist for Manor Dental on Staten Island.

New Jersey 101.5 did not know Wednesday whether Menendez had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Police on Haynes Avenue in Newark where the body of Luiza Shinkarevskaya was found shot to death
Police on Haynes Avenue in Newark where the body of Luiza Shinkarevskaya was found shot to death (RLS Metro Breaking News)
loading...

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story should have said that the suspect was described as being in a relationship with one of the victims, Anna Shpilberg.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM