Atlantic City Man Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Motel Stabbing Death
Friday, October 25, 2024, 8:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ.- On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Julio Vazquez-Dones, 38, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Pamela D’Arcy to first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter in connection with with the July 8, 2023, stabbing death at the Red Carpet Inn in Atlantic City.
According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds, in return for the guilty plea, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office will recommend that Vazquez-Dones be sentenced to 25 years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require him to serve eighty-five percent of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole.
The guilty plea stems from an incident that began on July 8, 2024, when, at around 5:00 a.m., members of the Atlantic City Police Department responded to the Red Carpet Inn after receiving a 911 Emergency Call reporting an altercation.
Responding Police Officers Find Victim
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a man, later identified as Jewel Lonon, 31, of Rosedale, New York, unresponsive after having sustained multiple stab wounds. Mr. Lonon succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
   During the initial investigation, Atlantic City Police Officers reviewed surveillance footage from the Red Carpet Inn and detained multiple individuals for questioning. The footage showed a Hispanic male, later identified as Vazquez-Dones, wearing a blue shirt and blue shorts, chasing Mr. Lonon into the inn’s parking lot when he began assaulting and stabbing Mr. Lonon multiple times.
Vazquez-Dones Admits To Stabbing
   When investigators spoke with Vazquez-Dones, he admitted to stabbing Mr. Lonon after a dispute and further admitted to discarding his clothes and the knife after the incident.
After admitting to the stabbing during Wednesday’s hearing, Judge D’Arcy accepted the plea and scheduled Vazquez-Dones to be sentenced on March 12, 2025.
