Former New Jersey Rabbi Convicted of Murder Dies in Prison
TRENTON, NJ — Fred Neulander, the New Jersey rabbi who was convicted of hiring two men to murder his wife, has died at the age of 82.
Neulander was found unresponsive by correctional officers in an infirmary unit at the New Jersey State Prison on Wednesday, April 17. Despite efforts to revive him, including CPR, Neulander was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 6:13 p.m. The cause of his death has not yet been disclosed.
Neulander, the founding rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was convicted in 2002 for orchestrating the murder of his wife, Carol Neulander, in 1994.
Carol, who was 52 at the time of her death, was co-founder of a boutique bakery and was brutally killed at their home by the hitmen, who Neulander paid $30,000. The motive behind the murder was reported to be Neulander’s desire to continue an affair with a Philadelphia radio personality.
he case, which ended with Neulander’s sentencing to 30 years in prison, followed an initial trial in 2001 that resulted in a hung jury.