The New Jersey State Police and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of Adam L. Lane, age 43, of Jonesville, North Carolina, charging him with the murder of Monica Massaro, of Bloomsbury, New Jersey.

Ms. Massaro’s body was discovered by New Jersey State Troopers on July 30, 2007, after they were dispatched to her residence in order to conduct a “well- being” check. The victim had been stabbed to death.

As a result of the homicide, a multi agency task force was organized. Detectives with the Major Crime Units and Crime Scene Units of the New Jersey State Police and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, along with other criminal investigative personnel from various law enforcement agencies provided assistance to the task force.

During the initial weeks of the investigation, teams of detectives interviewed numerous friends and acquaintances of Ms. Massaro. Detectives canvassed the Bloomsbury neighborhood several times in an attempt to determine if Ms. Massaro may have known her killer or if it was a random crime. All available leads were pursued during the initial phase of the investigation. A New Jersey State Police recruit class was brought to Bloomsbury Borough for the purpose of conducting a grid search of the area surrounding the victim’s residence in hopes of locating additional physical evidence.

On August 20th, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Chelmsford Police Department (MA) confirmed they had arrested Adam Leroy Lane on July 30, 2007 during a home invasion with a deadly weapon at 126 Pine Hill Road, Chelmsford, MA. This information was first received by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) officials in Quantico, VA. Adam Leroy Lane was recently indicted by a Massachusetts grand jury in connection with the Chelmsford home invasions that occurred on July 30th, 2007. Mr. Lane is presumed to be innocent of these charges.

After certain similarities were noted between the events in Chelmsford, Massachusetts and the homicide in Bloomsbury Borough, authorities confirmed that Lane had in fact been in the vicinity of Ms. Massaro’s Bloomsbury Borough residence at or around the time of her death. This information was provided to the detectives assigned to the investigation. Adam Lane has been incarcerated since the time of his arrest and is being held without bail at a Massachusetts’s Correctional Facility. As a result of this information, a team of detectives was sent to Chelmsford, Massachusetts to continue the investigation.

On August 28th, probable cause was developed to warrant the signing of criminal complaints charging Lane with the following criminal offenses:

• One count of first degree Murder 2C:11-3
• One count of second degree Burglary 2C:18-2
• One count of third degree Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purposes 2C:39-4d

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office emphasizes that Adam Leroy Lane is presumed to be innocent. The complaint filed is not evidence of his guilt as to charges set forth therein. Rather, the complaint is merely a step in the procedure to bring the matter before a grand jury.

Lieutenant Gerald Lewis, New Jersey State Police, Public Information Unit (609) 882-2000
Deputy Chief Dan Hurley, Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office (908) 788-1293

# # #