Northampton man pleads guilty to 2022 murder of Jana Abromowitz
By John BudenasAshley Shook,
24 days ago
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – A Northampton man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the 2022 stabbing death of his roommate, 21-year-old Jana M. Abromowitz in their shared apartment on Hatfield Street.
On Tuesday, 27-year-old Devin R. Bryden pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed robbery, and tampering with evidence in Hampshire Superior Court.
Jana Abromowitz (Photo courtesy: Jodi Lyn Cutler Outreach Director North Star)
Abromowitz was found dead by a friend in the apartment’s kitchen in July 2022, after she failed to show up for work. Investigators determined that Bryden had killed her in an attempt to steal her car, as he feared becoming homeless. He was arrested shortly after the murder and has been held without bail since then.
According to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, Bryden told police that he killed the victim to take her car because he was going to be homeless soon. Bryden addressed the court during his hearing Wednesday afternoon, “I am here to own up to my wrongful actions and just do the time that I got to do. I know what I did was wrong and I am ready to own up to that,” says Bryden.
Police were called by a friend of the victim who found the woman dead in the apartment’s kitchen. Investigators believe he killed the victim to take her car because he was going to be homeless soon. ADA Webber praised the efforts of law enforcement and credited the bravery of Abromowitz’s friends, particularly Raul Mendez, who found her body and immediately called for help. He also commended their assistance in helping investigators piece together a detailed timeline of events.
In court, Jennifer Abromowitz, Jana’s mother, spoke of her loss, and Judge Josephson acknowledged the pain that words could not heal, expressing hope that the conclusion of the judicial process would provide some comfort.
Although Bryden was initially facing a first-degree murder charge, the decision to accept a guilty plea for second-degree murder spared Abromowitz’s family the ordeal of a trial and potential appeals. Bryden had been in jail without bail since his arrest in July of 2022. He has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 to 40 years.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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