Gov. Phil Murphy's latest round of pardons and commutations will release five people from New Jersey prisons, including a Camden County woman convicted of killing her boyfriend in what her lawyers maintain was self-defense.
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Paige Pfefferle was 19 years old when she was arrested for the murder of Matthew Hus. The couple, both graduates of Audubon High School, had been arguing on Sept. 4, 2010, in Pfefferle's family home when she stabbed Hus with a kitchen knife. Pfefferle initially claimed to not know how Hus was injured, then said the stabbing was an accident despite forensic evidence to the contrary. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison, which she began serving in 2013.
Witnesses for the prosecution said during trial that Hus never hurt Pfefferle, and that she pushed and slapped him in front of others. But Pfefferle, now 34, claimed that he was abusive in private. During court proceedings, she said he hit her with a tire iron and a hammer.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey took on her case as part of its Clemency Project. Per Murphy's commutation, Pfefferle will be released from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Clinton and begin a five-year period of supervised parole.
"I’m grateful to be granted clemency so I can advocate for those who suffer from mental health issues and women and young girls who are survivors of domestic abuse," Pfefferle said in an ACLU-NJ release.
The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said it was "extremely disappointed in this decision" in a statement. It "strenuously objected" to Pfefferle's release, and maintains that her claims of self-defense and Hus' aggression were "not truthful."
"The defendant was not a suitable candidate for clemency or commutation," the statement reads. "She is a violent criminal, who not only murdered a 21-year-old young man, but she attempted to attack his good character to cover up her heinous act, which she continues to do. Paige Pfefferle was not a battered woman – she was the batterer. Pfefferle’s statement upon her release from prison is truly offensive to actual victims of domestic violence."
Murphy granted commutations for four others incarcerated in New Jersey facilities, and one man whose driver's license was suspended. He also pardoned 87 people, mostly for petty crimes like drug possession and shoplifting.
This story has been updated with a statement from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
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