Sentence reduced for man found guilty of killing, dismembering girl

<p>The sentence of a New Jersey man found guilty of killing and dismembering a 16-year-old girl in 2005 has been reduced.</p>

News 12 Staff

Nov 10, 2017, 5:48 PM

Updated 2,351 days ago

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The sentence of a New Jersey man found guilty of killing and dismembering a 16-year-old girl in 2005 has been reduced.
James Zarate, then 14, and his older brother, Jonathan, were convicted of beating, choking and stabbing Jennifer Parks in their father’s Randolph home in 2005.
Authorities said the girl’s body was dismembered and stuffed in a trunk. A police officer came upon the brothers and a friend as they tried to dump the body into a river in Rutherford.
James Zarate will now serve 50 years in prison for the death of Parks. He was originally sentenced to life for the crime.  
The resentencing followed a state Supreme Court ruling that determined lengthy terms equal to life in prison should not be imposed on juveniles.
The Associated Press news wire service contributed to this report.


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