‘Extremely dangerous’ NJ man accused of stabbing woman 37 times ruled unfit for trial

☑️ David C. Shroitman is charged with stabbing Maryrose Fealey 37 times in 2024

☑️ Doctors testified Shroitman suffers from schizophrenia and autistic disorder

☑️ The victim's father believes Shroitman is competent and is  'working the system'

SOMERVILLE — An appeals court judge has upheld a lower court ruling that a man charged with stabbing a former high school classmate 37 times in 2024 is not competent to stand trial.

Maryrose Fealey, 27, was pronounced dead Jan. 30, 2024, outside her home on North Bridge Street after being found unresponsive by a relative.  David C. Shroitman, also 27,  was charged with first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon, fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, and third-degree hindering apprehension

They were both members of the Somerville High School Class of 2014 and knew each other but there was no evidence of a romantic relationship. Investigators later found a manifesto in Shroitman's home outlining a step-by-step plan for killing Fealey but its contents have not been disclosed.

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Doctors cite schizophrenia and autism in competency ruling

Shroitman was described as an "extremely dangerous person" by prosecutors, according to NJ.com's coverage of his detention hearing. A Superior Court judge in April ruled that Shroitman was not competent to stand trial, according to Patch. A judge upheld the ruling on Feb. 27 after the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office filed a motion for reconsideration.

Patch reports a doctor said Shroitman suffered from schizophrenia and autistic disorder. The charges will stand and Shroitman will be reevaluated in the future but he is not likely to be released from the Ann Klein Forensic Center.

According to her obituary, Fealey was a 2018 graduate of the Rutgers Business School and was a Logistics Management Specialist. She was the founder of the nonprofit anti-drug group 4TheYoungerMe (4TYM) and was involved with the nonprofit's Not An Easy Fix and Empower Somerset (Next-Of-Kin/NOK interviewer).

Her father told NJ.com that he disagrees with the ruling and believes Shroitman is "working the system" to avoid a trial.

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