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TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that a Pennsylvania man pleaded
guilty today in the shooting death of shift
manager Raymond Kot at the Trump Taj Mahal
casino in Atlantic City last year.
According
to Director Taylor, Mark E. Magee, 58, of
Norristown, Pa., pleaded guilty today to
first-degree murder before Superior Court
Judge James E. Isman in Atlantic County.
As a result of the plea, Magee faces a sentence
of 30 years in state prison without possibility
of parole.
Magee
admitted in court that he shot Kot, 57,
of Egg Harbor Township, inside a card and
dice room off of the casino floor at the
Taj Mahal on May 27, 2009. He told the judge
that he believed that the casinos were cheating
patrons by electronically controlling table
games. Magee said he knew Kot was the shift
manager, and he went to the casino with
the intent to kill Kot. He admitted stalking
Kot throughout the day.
Magee
confronted Kot at approximately 3:50 p.m.,
shooting him three times in the torso with
a five-shot .38 Special revolver loaded
with hollow point bullets. Kot was taken
by ambulance to Atlantic City Medical Center,
where he was pronounced dead. Magee was
arrested outside of the casino shortly after
the shooting by detectives of the Atlantic
City Police Department. Magee dropped the
murder weapon as they approached.
“Mr.
Kot was a beloved husband and father and
a respected manager at the Taj Mahal,”
said Attorney General Dow. “No resolution
can make sense of a senseless tragedy like
this, but we believe that this guilty plea
serves justice.”
“The
casino community was shaken by the murder
of this highly regarded manager, who had
worked at the Taj Mahal since its opening,”
said Director Taylor. “We were determined
to move this case forward to an appropriate
resolution, so that the healing process
can continue for all of those affected by
this tragedy.”
The
murder charge was contained in a Sept. 17,
2009 Atlantic County grand jury indictment.
Deputy Attorney General Yvonne Maher prosecuted
the case and took the guilty plea for the
Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes
Bureau.
Judge
Isman scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12.
Magee was being held in the Atlantic County
Jail with bail set at $1,122,500. Judge
Isman revoked his bail after he entered
the guilty plea.
The
New Jersey State Police investigated the
murder with assistance from the Atlantic
City Police Department. The investigation
was conducted for the New Jersey State Police
by members of the State Police Casino Gaming
Bureau, the State Police Crime Scene South
Unit, and the State Police Major Crime Unit.
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