Amid public scrutiny of New Jersey's criminal justice reforms following a killing in Newark last week, authorities in Essex County will test a new approach to deciding whether defendants in domestic violence cases remain jailed pending trial.

That first-of-its-kind approach, court officials said, began Thursday. One specific judge, highly skilled in domestic violence issues, will decide whether those with domestic violence charges will remain in jail before their cases are heard, a spokesperson for the county prosecutor's office said. Superior Court Judge Ramona Santiago has been tapped to be that judge.

Previously, decisions about whether to detain a domestic violence suspect would be heard by a number of judges in the court's criminal division in the county.

"It is important that we have a legal system that understands the nature of domestic violence, is responsive to victims, and fair in administering justice," acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the Public Defender's Office and the courts in this endeavor."

The move came just over a week after police say Irvington resident Kareem Dawson shot and killed Tiffany Wilson, the mother of his children, on Scheerer Avenue in Newark before leading police officers on a car chase.

Tiffany Wilson (Photo courtesy of Kyceid Zahir)

The pursuit ended in Summit, authorities said, when Dawson shot himself in the head. He survived his injuries, but remained in critical condition as of last week.



Court records show Dawson had two prior arrests for alleged domestic violence offenses against Wilson, and that the same Superior Court judge had twice denied motions to keep him jailed pending trial, ruling prosecutors had not provided sufficient evidence that only a jail cell could keep the public safe from Dawson.

Officials at the state and local level quickly called for changes to the state's year-old criminal justice reforms, pointing out that Dawson's case was the second time a judge in Newark had ordered a domestic violence defendant released pending trial, only for them to allegedly take their victim's life.

Last spring, a different judge in Newark declined to keep a Roselle man, Dominick Richards, jailed in an aggravated assault case in which his ex-girlfriend was a victim. Richards later fatally shot the woman, Anishalee Cortes, on his home's driveway before turning the gun on himself.

The prosecutor's office said the pilot program's launch comes after a review last week of the county's pre-trial services by a visiting team that included state Public Defender Joseph E. Krakora and Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson.

Both the Essex County Prosecutor's Office and the public defender's office will have attorneys assigned to handle detention motions before Santiago as part of the new approach, a spokesperson said.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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