PARSIPPANY — Two Parsippany men pleaded guilty Wednesday for their roles in the death of a roommate last year and their attempt to evade arrest by fleeing to California.
Rogelio Laureano-Gonzalez, 26, could serve five years in prison for manslaughter after striking Jaime Lopez-Basilio, a 27-year-old Mexican immigrant, in the head during a drunken argument inside their Old Bloomfield Avenue home on September 9, according to Daily Record.
A third roommate, Cirilo Rojas-Paulino, 26, faces a 364-day sentence in Morris County Correctional Facility for helping Laureano-Gonzalez flee to California to avoid police apprehension.
On September 9, 2019, law enforcement received information regarding a deceased male inside a home in the area of Old Bloomfield Road. The manner of death was determined to be Homicide. The deceased male has been identified as Jaime Lopez-Basilio.
Two residents of the home, Rogelio Laureano-Gonzalez and Cirilo Rojas-Paulino, could not be immediately located during the death investigation. A subsequent investigation by law enforcement led to the apprehension of both individuals in California. It is alleged that Laureano-Gonzalez struck Lopez-Basilio in the head causing Lopez-Basilio’s death. It is further alleged that Laureano-Gonzalez and Rojas-Paulino fled New Jersey following the death to avoid investigation, apprehension, or prosecution related to Lopez-Basilio’s death.
Prosecutor Knapp acknowledges the efforts of the Oxnard (California) Police Department, the Kern County (California) Sheriff’s Office, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office – Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit.
