Playboy rabbi who hired two hitmen to kill his wife so he could pursue an affair with New Jersey radio star is found dead in prison where he was serving life for murder

Fred Neulander, a former senior rabbi at a synagogue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has been found dead while serving a life sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.

Neulander, who was 82, had been in prison since 2002 after the 1994 murder-for-hire death of his wife, 52-year-old Carol Neulander, at their home.

Two hired killers testified how they beat Carol to death on the orders of her husband, who had promised to pay them $30,000.

One said Neulander wanted his wife dead so he could continue an affair.

The crime shocked the local community at the time and received national attention due to its scandalous nature.

Neulander died at the age of 82 while serving a life sentence at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton (photo)

Neulander had been incarcerated in Trenton since 2002. He was found unresponsive in his cell by correctional officers and was rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

No cause of death has been given.

Neulander’s case revolved around his desire to pursue an affair with a local radio personality, Elaine Soncini, a DJ who worked at WPEN-FM.

The couple met when Neulander officiated the funeral of her husband, Ken Garland, in 1992.

It led to Neulander hiring two hitmen, Paul Daniels and Len Jenoff, to kill Carol.

Both hitmen were released in 2014 after serving ten years of a maximum 23-year prison sentence.

Daniels even expressed regret for his role in the crime, highlighting the profound impact it had on him and the victim’s family.

Carol Neulander, 52, was beaten to death in their home on her husband’s orders by two hitmen who were paid $30,000 to carry out the murder

Neulander’s case revolved around his desire to pursue an affair with a local radio personality, Elaine Soncini, a DJ at WPEN-FM.

The murder of Carol Neulander, a beloved figure in South Jersey’s Jewish community, would have had a lasting impact on those who knew her, the newspaper reported. Philadelphia researcher.

The crime scene appeared to have been staged to resemble a robbery and immediately raised investigators’ suspicions after almost nothing in the house was touched.

It ultimately led to Neulander’s arrest and subsequent conviction, although at his trial the jury could not agree on whether he should receive the death penalty – and so he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Carol, the mother of the couple’s three children, had been beaten to death with a metal pipe.

She was on the phone with her adult daughter, Rebecca Neulander Rockoff, when the attackers entered the family’s home.

The case gained further notoriety through media coverage, including true crime documentaries and even a true crime musical, A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill, based on the events.

More than 2,000 members of the Jewish community, along with family members and friends, attended Carol’s funeral.

Despite efforts to overturn his conviction, Neulander remained imprisoned until his death. He would be up for parole in eight years at the age of 90. He is pictured in 2001

Despite efforts to overturn his conviction, Neulander remained imprisoned until his death. He would be up for parole in eight years at the age of 90.

In 2016, a state appeals court rejected a request by Neulander to overturn his murder conviction.

“The opinion only reaffirms the jury’s healthy belief in a guilty verdict in this case,” Robert English, a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, said at the time.

After Neulander’s death, his former congregation, Kol Ami in Cherry Hill, released a statement highlighting the community’s journey toward healing.

“Fred Neulander’s leadership of the congregation ended many years ago under highly publicized circumstances that conflicted with the values ​​our congregation holds dear.

‘Rather than dwell on the past, we at Congregation Kol Ami choose to focus on our future. We are building a vibrant and inclusive Jewish community guided by shared values ​​and traditions, supporting each other through life’s joys and sorrows, and finding purpose and connection through prayer, learning, and acts of compassion and kindness.”