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New York Post
Irate Romeo hires couple to douse NJ ex-girlfriend with acid in twisted cross-country scheme: cops
By Steve Janoski,
3 hours ago
A jilted romeo hired a couple to douse his ex-lover with acid — in a demented scheme that had the attackers drive 900 miles from Florida to New Jersey, cops said.
William DiBernadino, 49, of Boynton Beach, Florida, enlisted Jacksonville residents Betty Jo Lane, 38, and Jmarr McNeil, 39 to drive to Monroe Township late last month where they drenched his 42-year-old ex with a “highly caustic” substance as she got out of her car outside her home, according to the Star-Ledger.
Then Lane — who prosecutors say threw the acid — got back into the silver car she and McNeil rented and fled.
William DiBernadino, the victim’s ex, is the alleged masterminded the crime. St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office
“At first I thought it was an animal attacking another animal and then I thought, ‘Well that sounds like a woman’s voice,'” neighbor Jim Glinske told an ABC affiliate in Pennsylvania. “I saw her car and it looked like there was an explosion inside her car.”
The July 26 attack left the victim with chemical burns over about 35% of her body, according to the report.
Authorities airlifted the disfigured woman to a burn center, where she remains nearly four weeks later, cops said.
“I just hope and pray for the best for her,” Glinske added.
Betty Jo Lane of Jacksonville has been accused of throwing acid in the face of a New Jersey woman at the behest of her ex-lover. St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Jmarr McNeil, Betty Jo Lane’s alleged accomplice, drove 900 miles with her from Florida for the job. St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office
Cops arrested the pair and hit them with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, stalking and a weapons charge, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said.
They also nabbed the plot’s alleged mastermind, DiBernadino, 49, and charged him with the same crimes.
The three suspects are awaiting extradition from Florida.
Cops haven’t detailed a motive.
The brazen attack has left neighbors in shock — the South Jersey town of just under 50,000 is considered incredibly secure, so much so that it was named the safest small city in the country, according to The Hill.
“Even your worst enemy you wouldn’t think would do something like that,” neighbor Sahara Bair-Oates told ABC.
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