Supreme Court will not hear appeal by Rabbi Fred J. Neulander

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

By JIM WALSH
Courier-Post Staff

The state Supreme Court will not hear an appeal by Rabbi Fred J. Neulander, the once-prominent clergyman convicted of ordering his wife's murder in their Cherry Hill home, Camden County's acting prosecutor said Tuesday.

The high court's decision "brings to an close all pending litigation in this tragic case," said Joshua M. Ottenberg, the county's top law officer.

Neulander, 65, was seeking to overturn his November 2002 convictions for murder, felony murder and conspiracy to commit murders. But the Supreme Court decided last week it will let stand a December 2006 appellate ruling that upheld the guilty verdicts, Ottenberg said.

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Carol Neulander, 52, was fatally beaten in her home on the night of Nov. 1, 1994. Authorities said her husband, then the senior rabbi at Congregation M'kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, paid two men to kill her so he could continue an extramarital affair. The rabbi contended she died in a robbery.

More:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS01/704180386/1006


See also:

Adulterous Rabbi Is Suspect In Murder

Police and prosecutors have stated publicly that they are investigating whether Rabbi Fred J. Neulander hired a hit man to kill his wife, Carol, who was found bludgeoned to death in their home. No charges have been filed against Neulander because of the lack of physical evidence.

Iinvestigators said they believe a hit man, who posed as a deliveryman, killed the woman. Police said the same deliveryman had come to the house 2 weeks prior, handed Carol an envelope--which turned out to be empty--and asked to use the Neulander's bathroom. During both appearances Carol was on the telephone with her daughter. The night of the murder, Rabbi Neulander was at the synagogue and returned to find his wife's body.

A possible motive for Neulander to have his wife killed became evident after prominent Philadelphia radio host Elaine Soncini acknowledged that she had a 2-year affair with the rabbi.

In a news conference, Soncini said she acknowledged the affair only because her name was about to be made public. Investigators say they believe Neulander, founder of Temple M'Kor Shalom, was involved with at least one other woman during the same period.

More:
http://ffrf.org/fttoday/1995/october95/betrayal.html