fred neulander

Fred Neulander was indicted in his wife's death in 1998, but he wasn't convicted until 2003, after a former congregant confessed he and another man were paid by Neulander to kill his wife so Neulander could be with his mistress. (AP file photo)

(AP photo)

CHERRY HILL TWP. -- Fred Neulander, the rabbi convicted of hiring two men in 1994 to kill his wife in what was supposed to look like a botched robbery, saw his claims of a "manifest injustice" fail in state appellate court.

According to a July 28 decision from state Superior Court judges Joseph Yannotti and Francis Vernoia, Neulander's appeal of a 2012 decision was "without sufficient merit to warrant discussion."

Per the decision, Neulander's arguments fell short of raising "any reversible error in his trial, nor has he shown that he was denied the effective assistance of trial or appellate counsel in any respect."

According to court documents, Neulander appealed his denied post-conviction relief filing and argued he was "entitled to a hearing" after being denied a fair trial, "perjured testimony" from Jenoff and "lay witnesses" who tied him to the murder.

Neulander was spared the death penalty as a result of Carol Neulander's death at the hands of Paul Daniels and Len Jenoff, both of whom have since been released from prison after serving 23-year terms.

Neulander was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison and admitted to having extramarital affairs, but attempted to argue he had no role in his wife's murder -- which was apparently done for $30,000.

The filing was submitted on June 7 by public defender Joseph Krakora. Judges Yannotti and Vernoia sided with previous appellate counsel and post-conviction relief court findings in rejecting Neulander's claims.

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.