Paterson Man Pleads Not Guilty in Ex-Girlfriend’s Death

PATERSON, N.J. — Prosecutors say a northern New Jersey man who allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death a day after he was freed from a halfway house has pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges.

Thirty-eight-year-old Raheem Jones of Paterson entered his pleas Monday during a state Superior Court hearing in Paterson. He remains jailed on $2 million bail.

Jones is charged in the death of 39-year-old Latasha Smith, who was stabbed multiple times inside her home. Smith was caring for her 3-year-old granddaughter when the attack occurred, but the child was not harmed.

Jones, who has an extensive criminal record, was arrested early Thursday after an intensive manhunt.

Authorities say the couple had a long history of domestic violence.