NJ man gets life sentence for killing estranged wife as 12-year-old son watched

BRIDGETON, N.J. (AP) - A man convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife in front of their young son has been sentenced to life in prison.

Cumberland County prosecutors say Jeremiah Monell stabbed 35-year-old Tara O'Shea-Watson dozens of times after beating her and throwing her on the floor of her Commercial Township home in December 2016. The couple's 12-year-old son witnessed the attack, then reported it to a neighbor the following day.

Prosecutors say the boy heard his mother tell Monell to "just let me die in peace" as he attacked her.

Monell fled after the stabbing but was captured two weeks later in a wooded area of Atlantic County. He was convicted in January on murder and weapons charges following a trial where he declined to testify.

The sentence was imposed Friday.