TRENTON – Derick LeCompte’s deviant behavior didn’t end in 2000, when, at age 20, he was sent to prison for life for committing the gruesome slaying of a Toms River shopkeeper who begged for mercy as he stabbed her 42 times in her Route 37 consignment shop.

LeCompte, in prison for the 1999 murder of 42-year-old Linda Thomas, last year tried to mail a package that contained what he claimed was a vial of his semen, along with a sock shaped into the form of a sex toy, from his prison cell to an unidentified individual, according to court papers.



The package, which was searched by a senior correction officer on March 21, 2017, also included a sexually explicit letter that stated the vial was filled with “a small sealed bag of my ejaculation that I did for you,’’ according to the court papers.



Prison officials didn’t look favorably upon the murderer’s outgoing package and brought him up on charges for which they ultimately found him guilty and imposed discipline, including time in segregation and loss of commutation credits and recreation time.



LeCompte, now 38, claimed he was treated unfairly and, from his prison cell, drew up legal papers challenging the disciplinary measures.



But appellate judges last week issued a ruling saying corrections officials were well within the bounds of the law by imposing the discipline on LeCompte.



LeCompte had claimed in his self-penned appeal that the charges lacked merit and that his hearing officer violated his rights. He also claimed that corrections officials did not prove that the package he tried to mail contained a bodily fluid. And, he claimed that corrections officials, in their failure to be lenient toward him, treated him maliciously.



“We consider these points to be so lacking in merit as to not warrant much discussion in a written opinion,’’ Judges Carmen H. Alvarez and Hany A. Mawla of the Appellate Division of Superior Court said in a written decision issued on Friday.



“Clearly, DOC’s (Department of Corrections) mail system was not designed for inmates to forward either bodily fluids or objects of a sexual nature,’’ the judges wrote.

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A hearing officer had found LeCompte guilty of subjecting a person to contact with a bodily fluid and unauthorized use of the mail and imposed sanctions that included 300 days in segregation and the loss of 300 days of commutation credits and 30 days recreation.



LeCompte was found guilty despite his argument that unless the substance purported to be a bodily fluid was scientifically tested, he could not be convicted, according to the judges’ decision. But the judges found, “LeCompte’s letter adequately established the vial’s contents.’’ They further found, “An officer engaging in the routine inspection of outgoing mail should not be exposed to a container of bodily fluid.’’



LeCompte previously pleaded guilty in 2000 to murder, felony murder, robbery and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the death of Thomas, who begged for her life as she was repeatedly stabbed in her consignment shop, Garage Sale Depot, on May 4, 1999.



Authorities said LeCompte, who lived in the area of Thomas’ shop in Toms River, stabbed her repeatedly with a kitchen paring knife, dragged her body out of public view and stepped over her to load his car with items he planned to steal from the store. He admitted to police that after leaving the store, he returned there at least twice, once to retrieve the murder weapon and other times to check on Thomas to see if she was still alive. At one point, he splashed water on her face to revive her, he told authorities.



“She told me to take the money and take the car and get out,’’ LeCompte told detectives who investigated the killing. “She kept saying, ‘Oh, God, oh, God.’

“Originally, I meant to push her but, instead, I stabbed her in the chest,’’ LeCompte said in his recorded confession. “She screamed out, “What are you doing” Why are you doing this? I have a disabled daughter at home.’”



LeCompte stole the victim's wedding and engagement ring as she lay dying.



The killing was captured on a store surveillance camera, authorities said. LeCompte realized the camera was there and removed it, but he discarded it nearby, and a nearby resident found it and turned it over to police, helping them to quickly solve the murder.



LeCompte was sentenced in 2000 to life in prison for Thomas' murder, with no chance for release on parole before serving 30 years. He currently is in South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, according to the state Corrections Department website. He becomes eligible for parole in 2029, the website said.



Kathleen Hopkins: 732-643-4202; Khopkins@app.com





