Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez released the following information about last night’s Kearny homicide:
On April 10, at approximately 6:45 p.m., Kearny police officers were dispatched to 133 Chestnut St., on a 911 call of a medical injury. Upon arrival, officers observed a lifeless female victim with apparent stab wounds in a second-floor apartment at that location.
The victim, Luisa Cristina Reyna-Tello, 46, who lived in the apartment, was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 7:10 p.m.
The cause and manner of death are pending an investigation by the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.
Jose Castro-Lavado, 36, who also lived in the Kearny apartment, was arrested by Kearny police officers in connection with the death of Reyna-Tello. Sources say Castro-Lavado was in the U.S. illegally.
He has been charged by the Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit with murder, a first-degree crime; possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, a third-degree crime; and unlawful possession of a weapon, a fourth-degree crime.
Castro-Lavado is the father of three children with Reyna-Tello.
Photos by Kevin Canessa Jr.
Photos above were taken at the scene at 133 Chestnut St., Kearny.
A New York City-based TV journalist told The Observer she interviewed a boy who lived near the scene. The boy said he’d heard loud noises coming from next door.
“I heard screaming,” the boy said. “She was saying, ‘My mom, my mom, why my mom!’ That’s what really stuck with me.'”
The Prosecutor’s Homicide Unit is actively investigating the case with assistance from the KPD.
Anyone with information is asked to immediately contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip on the Prosecutor’s Office official website at www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip.
All information will be kept confidential.
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Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.