Who was Maryrose Fealey? New Jersey man arrested over brutal murder of former high school classmate

On Monday, February 5, 27-year-old David Shroitman was placed under arrest in connection with the January 30 incident that resulted in the death of his former classmate, Maryrose Fealey.

On Tuesday, February 6, the suspect made his first court appearance, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. Prosecutors have, however, claimed that the stabbing was planned.

The New York Post reported that the suspect currently faces murder charges in connection with Fealey's tragic death. A funeral had also been scheduled to honor the deceased woman. Several mourners gathered outside Bridgewater Funeral Home on Tuesday to pay their respects to Fealey, who was also an anti-drug activist.

---

27-year-old Maryrose Fealey has allegedly been stabbed to death by a former high school classmate last week

A horrific incident took place after a fatal stabbing was carried out outside a house in Somerville, New Jersey, on January 30.

Authorities arrived at the scene at about 10.20 p.m. local time after someone discovered an unconscious person (identified as Maryrose) and called 911. When the EMS arrived and administered life-saving measures to her, she was soon declared dead. It was later found that she had been stabbed 37 times by the perpetrator.

Maryrose Fealey was a respected woman in the community, and the suspect was her ex-classmate, David Shroitman. He was arrested on Monday and has been charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon, tampering with physical evidence, and hindering prosecution.

Meanwhile, according to the obituary, Maryrose Fealey graduated in 2018 from Rutgers Business School. She was also a former federal employee at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). The obituary added:

"She was committed to her vision and efforts to empower youth and those battling addiction. Founder of the non-profit 4TheYoungerMe (4TYM), she also was involved with the non-profits Not An Easy Fix and Empower Somerset (Next-Of-Kin/NOK interviewer)."

She has also been described as a "visual artist, anti-drug activist, entrepreneur, champion of the underdog, philanthropist, encourager, writer, and logistician." Fealey was the founder of a nonprofit organization named 4TheYoungerMe.

---

People have offered condolences to the victim's family

Several people have been mourning the tragic loss due to Maryrose Fealey's death. Ian Bockus, a member of the nonprofit organization Not An Easy Fix, wrote on Facebook:

"She was always extremely supportive and had a big smile whenever she entered a room."

Ian further wrote:

"My friend group and I have dealt with a lot of loss over the years but never anything like this. It doesn’t make sense and it isn’t right but it’s times like this where we need to come together as a family and a community and offer our support."

Detectives have discovered surveillance footage that captured the suspect wearing dark-colored clothes and running near the scene of the crime around the time of the murder.

After receiving a tip from a relative of the suspect, police obtained a warrant to search his vehicle and house. Upon investigation, cops discovered several bleach containers and a manifesto stating the steps to murder the victim. Prosecutors claimed that David used the bleach to clean blood.