Fred Neulander
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Rabbi Fred Neulander (born August 14, 1941) was the founding Rabbi of the Congregation M'Kor Shalom Reform Temple in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was convicted of paying hitmen Len Jenoff and Paul Daniels $18,000 to kill his wife Carol. The case took many twists and turns.
Neulander's apparent motive was to continue a relationship with a former Philadelphia area radio personality, Elaine Soncini. He apparently felt that a divorce would compromise his authority as a spiritual leader, and thus possibly his job; hence felt the need to have his wife killed.
Soncini would go on to testify at trial that when her previous husband, Philadelphia radio personality Ken Garland died, she turned to Neulander for comfort. Their relationship became physical and Soncini would eventually convert to Judaism under Neulander's tutelage. Soncini was being pressured by the Prosecutor with a conspiracy indictment when she agreed to testify against Neulander. She testified twice that Neulander wanted to be with her and told Soncini how he "dreamed" of finding Carol Neulander dead and the life he and Elaine would live. Soncini was afforded protection from the Cherry Hill Police after she agreed to cooperate. Soon after the protection commenced, Soncini and the officer responsible for her protection wound up marrying and moving to Florida before the trial commenced. Rumours abound that the same officer resigned in a rush when he was confronted about looking into the Soncini investigative file.
As of 1998, the actual killers of Carol Neulander had not been revealed. Suspicion swarmed around Neulander, but it was not apparent who did the deed. Five years after her death, the prosecution had lots of rumours surrounding Neulander but very little fact. Regardless, Prosecutor Jim Lynch decided to press forward with a trial against Neulander. Apparently, the State thought there was enough evidence to establish a conspiracy case against Neulander, even if his co-conspirators were unknown.
The actual killer, Len Jenoff, confessed to Philadelphia Inquirier reporter Nancy Phillips only weeks before Neulander's trial. Upon receiving the confession, the Prosecution re-indicted and amended the charges against Neulander. The conspirators had been revealed. Jenoff had been communicating with Phillips for some time. Phillips was aware of Jenoff, and she knew he was a shady character, and that he was good friends with the rabbi. Jenoff had apparently led a troubled life, and he fabricated large segments of his history (including his representation that he was an undercover CIA agent), apparently in order to mask ongoing career troubles, marriage troubles, etc... Then Jenoff had met Neulander, and things were looking up. Neulander apparantly befriended Jenoff, even performing Jenoff's wedding in the very room where Carol was found murdered. However, at some point Neulander allegedly manipulated Jenoff into murdering Carol in exchange for money. Jenoff then recruited Paul Daniels, an even more troubled young man who had been a roommate of Jenoff's. Jenoff would eventually come forward and in the dining area of Weber's, a popular South Jersey Diner in the town of Audubon, he confessed to Phillips. The Inquirer reporter then convinced Jenoff to tell his story again to then Camden County Prosecutor Lee Solomon in the very same diner. Jenoff would go on to tell his story to two juries.
Jenoff's story went like this: Jenoff had apparently "cased" the Neulander home by meeting Carol at the home alone on the premise of delivering a package and requesting to use the bathroom. Jenoff's use of the bathroom earned him the moniker "bathroom man" from Carol Neulander. The murder allegedly occurred when Jenoff and Daniels returned a few weeks later and entered the Neulander home while only Carol Neulander was home. On the premise of delivering a package for the rabbi, Jenoff entered the home. Carol was on the phone with her daughter and identified Jenoff as the bathroom man. It would be the last time Carol Neulander's daughter ever heard her mother's voice.
Jenoff, in exchange for a plea, would go on to testify that Paul Daniels only struck Carol Neulander once, but that Jenoff himself struck her repeatedly over her cries of "Why?", splattering her blood onto a wall.
Neulander and his defense team contended that Jenoff and Daniels acted independently, and that their motive was robbery. Jenoff knew that Carol ran her own business, Classic Cakes, and that she frequently brought cash designated for deposit into the home. Jenoff, needing money and armed with that knowledge recruited Daniels and killed Carol Neulander for the deposits. Jenoff himself was a dubious character and the defense spent hours cross-examining Jenoff on the fact that he had lied about CIA ties and work as an FBI informant. Jenoff had apparently also misrepresented his credentials and held himself out as a private investigator. Only Jenoff had met with Fred Neulander, and only Jenoff's testimony could support the allegation that Neulander had paid Jenoff to kill Carol Neulander. In fact, Daniels, obviously suffering from mental difficulties, could not even testify that Jenoff had indicated that Neulander had paid for the killing.
The first jury, empaneled in Camden County hung. Area newspapers reported rumours that the panel hung 9-3 in favor of guilt. Due to the intense media coverage in Camden County, the re-trial was moved to Monmouth County. In Monmouth, Fred Neulander was found guilty. Following the verdict, Asst. Prosecutor Jim Lynch submitted to the jury on the question of the death penalty which the jury panel declined. Neulander was sentenced to serve 30 years to life in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.
The case is currently still in the appeals process on the issue of whether the admission double or triple layer "hearsay" evidence, i.e.; the out of court statement by Carol Neulander as elicited by and through her daughter, about the telephone conversation involving the "bathroom man" may result in a new trial. Those statements, which were admitted over the objection of Neulander's attorneys, may have been the pivotal evidence which ultimately resulted in Neulander's conviction.
Jenoff resides in Riverfront State Prison in Camden, NJ. His first parole date will not come until 2010 and he could remain confined until 2023.
Paul Daniels was sentenced similarly, although he resides in a separate facility.
