Jennifer Sweeney had been accused of arranging to have Tyrita Julius shot, then when Julius survived, strangling her to death and burying her body in the backyard of the shooter.
"What's being done here in Monmouth County should be a model for the rest of our state," Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said during the graduation ceremony.
Created by the county prosecutor's office, Cuffs to Beds gives certain drug offenders a chance to accept treatment and avoid the criminal justice system. A successful attempt at kicking their habit could result in downgraded or dropped charges.
Cold case investigations "are very personnel intensive, so you really need people who are dedicated to that," said acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino.