Murphy grants clemency to monster mom who burned her two children alive before leaving office

Long Branch, NJ – Long Branch – Outgoing Governor Phil Murphy’s decision to grant clemency to convicted child killer Maria Montalvo has sparked outrage across Monmouth County, with Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago issuing a scathing statement condemning the move as “the polar opposite of justice.”

Montalvo, now in her late 50s, was convicted in 1996 for the murders of her two young children, 18-month-old Zoraida-Angelin Aponte and 28-month-old Rafael-Louis Aponte. On February 22, 1994, investigators said, she strapped the children into her Volkswagen Jetta, drove to her in-laws’ home on Buttonwood Avenue, doused them with gasoline, and set the car on fire. Family members witnessed the tragedy as the vehicle erupted in ...