Woman was reported missing days before her body was found, according to prosecutors.

Pedro Lora-Pena (Photo: ECPO) 

NEWARK -- A 42-year-old Belleville man has been arrested on charges he killed his girlfriend, who was found dead in the trunk of her car in Newark, prosecutors said Wednesday. 

Pedro Lora-Pena was charged with murder, moving or concealing human remains and weapons offenses.

The body of Diana Boggio, 41, was found in her Honda Accord on Verona Avenue in Newark Tuesday morning, according to acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray.

Boggio was reported missing to Belleville police around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, prosecutors said.

A preliminary investigation found she was slain in another location and left in an industrial area of Newark, near McCarter Highway, prosecutors said.

Missing Belleville woman found dead in trunk of her car

While authorities said there was no evidence Boggio was killed in Newark, the prosecutor's office would not say where the killing took place.

Members of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Task Force, Newark police and Belleville police were on Verona Avenue late Tuesday morning. The Honda was later towed from the scene. 

The prosecutor's office declined to say what led investigators to the car. An autopsy is expected to determine her exact cause of death.

Prosecutors did not disclose a possible motive in the slaying.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

January 2017 was light on bone-chilling days and also light on snowfall.

It already seems like a distant memory, but New Jersey was in a deep freeze in early January, when a blast of Arctic air swept across the state and dropped the mercury into the teens and single digits for three straight days.

Aside from that, January 2017 was not so brutal in terms of bone-chilling weather. It turned out to be the state's 12th mildest January since records started being kept in 1895, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson.

The average temperature across the Garden State last month was 36.6 degrees, which is 5.9 degrees above normal, said Robinson, who teaches at Rutgers University and oversees the New Jersey Weather & Climate Network. 

January also turned out to be a fairly wet month, with a healthy amount of rain, but pretty much a dud in terms of snow.

Parts of N.J. could hit 50 degrees on Feb. 1

Preliminary statistics show New Jersey averaged 3.68 inches of rain and melted snow last month, which is 0.28 inches above normal and ranks as the 43rd wettest January on record, Robinson said. 

An average of 6 inches of snow fell across the state in January 2017, which is 1.2 inches below normal and ranks as the 60th snowiest January since 1895. Although the northeastern and southern regions of New Jersey ended up with slightly above-average snowfall totals last month, those were offset by the northwestern region, which had snowfall totals far below normal for January.

Last year, thanks to the blizzard at the end of the month, turned out to be the seventh snowiest January on record in New Jersey. The snowiest was in 2011, when the state averaged 23.1 inches.

January 2017 weather stats

Here's a look at how January 2017 fared in different regions in terms of temperature, snowfall and overall precipitation. These statistics are from the National Weather Service offices in Mount Holly and Upton, N.Y.

JANUARY TEMPERATURE

Newark

• Average temp: 37.8 degrees (6.2 degrees above normal)
• Highest temp: 67 degrees on Jan. 12
• Lowest temp: 12 degrees on Jan. 9
• Number of days with low temp of 32 or colder: 13 (last year it was 27 days) 

Trenton

• Average temp: 36.4 degrees (5.3 degrees above normal)
• Highest temp: 65 degrees on Jan. 12
• Lowest temp: 6 degrees on Jan. 9
• Number of days with low temp of 32 or colder: 19 (last year it was 28 days) 

Atlantic City

• Average temp: 38.3 degrees (5.3 degrees above normal)
• Highest temp: 67 degrees on Jan. 12
• Lowest temp: 0 degrees on Jan. 9
• Number of days with low temp of 32 or colder: 17 (last year it was 25 days) 

New York 

• Average temp: 38.0 degrees (5.4 degrees above normal)
• Highest temp: 66 degrees on Jan. 12
• Lowest temp: 14 degrees on Jan. 9
• Number of days with low temp of 32 or colder: 12 (last year it was 22 days) 

Philadelphia

• Average temp: 38.5 degrees (5.5 degrees above normal)
• Highest temp: 67 degrees on Jan. 12
• Lowest temp: 12 degrees on Jan. 9
• Number of days with low temp of 32 or colder: 15 (last year it was 26 days) 

JANUARY SNOW

• N.J. average: 6.0 inches (1.2 inches below normal)
• Newark: 9.3 inches (1.4 inches above normal)
• Trenton: Snow data not available
• Atlantic City: 7.2 inches  (2.7 inches above normal)
• New York: 7.9 inches (0.9 inches above normal)
• Philadelphia: 5.7 inches (0.8 inches below normal)

JANUARY PRECIPITATION (rain and liquid snow)

• N.J. average: 3.68 inches (0.28 inches above normal)
• Newark: 4.65 inches (1.11 inches above normal)
• Trenton: 3.37 inches (0.21 inches above normal)
• Atlantic City: 4.18 inches (0.96 inches above normal)
• New York: 4.83 inches (1.18 inches above normal)
• Philadelphia: 2.91 inches (0.12 inches below normal)

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A look at the 20 best offensive teams in N.J. on a points-per-game basis.

The 20 teams allowing the fewest points-per-game this season

N.J. officials allege seven of the company's stores sold car parts and accessories for more than the posted prices.

NEWARK -- Advance Stores Company, a car parts and accessories retailer, agreed to pay almost $70,000 to settle claims by state officials that seven of its stores violated pricing laws.

The stores, operating under the name "Advance Auto Parts," sold products at prices higher than what was listed on the displays, the state Division of Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection and the state Office of Weights and Measures said Wednesday in a press release. 

Advance also failed to post the total price of certain parts and accessories up for sale, the state officials said.

"It's vital that we hold merchants accountable for the accuracy of the pricing in their stores," DCA Director Steve Lee said in the press release. "The Division is committed to taking action whenever necessary and sending a message that deceptive conduct will not be tolerated."

The settlement payment will total $69,607.89, which includes $42,000 in civil penalties and $24,485.79 in attorneys' fees and investigative costs.

The company also agreed to fix the accuracy of its pricing displays, start a monitoring program involving regular pricing audits in more than 100 stores across New Jersey, train general managers and other employees on the company's pricing policies, and choose a corporate compliance coordinator to ensure that these changes are made, according to the state officials.

"Consumers should not have to worry whether the price advertised for merchandise is actually the price they pay," Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in the press release. "Settlements such as this make it more likely that when consumers visit an auto parts store they will get what they pay for at the correct price."

State officials said between Jan. 21, 2015, and Feb. 23, 2015, they visited seven stores in East Orange, Newark, Linden, East Brunswick, Bloomfield, Avenel and Fanwood and found certain products were priced at up to $4.84 more than what was posted on the item or the display. 

A message left on Advance's media relations line Wednesday was not immediately returned. 

The DCA in March settled an investigation with AutoZone, Inc., which also agreed to change its business practices after the state agency alleged similar pricing violations. 

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A country singing legend, a mad-cap mystery and a cutting-edge comedian among this week's hot tickets

Rosanne Cash in South Orange

Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash will feature music from her 2015 Grammy-nominated album "The River & the Thread" at South Orange Performing Arts Center Feb. 3. The eldest daughter of the legendary Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash has recorded 15 albums, 11 of which reached number one on the Country charts, proving she's got her father's grit and musical gifts She appears with her husband/long-time collaborator John Leventhal. 

$55-70, Feb. 3, 8 p.m., South Orange Performing Arts Center, One SOPAC Way, South Orange, 973-313-2787.

A closer look at Seth Meyers at Mayo

Way back in 2011, comedian Seth Meyers hosted the annual White House Correspondents dinner and made multiple jokes at the expense of now-President Donald Trump. Trump didn't like it, and some have theorized that fueled his presidential candidacy. Meyers is likely to address that -- and how politics has helped his late night TV show thrive -- when he appears at the Mayo Performing Arts Center Feb. 4. Meyers appearance is part of The Drew Forum's Speaker Series.

$45, Feb. 4, 8 p.m., Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown. 973-539-8008.

Election reflection at Summit's Dreamcatcher

Soon after the cast of Broadway's "Hamilton" made headlines for addressing Vice President Mike Pence from the stage, the team at Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre saw an opportunity for conversation: What role does theatre play in civic discourse? What do audiences need or gain from it? On Feb. 2, the theatre hosts "An Evening of Short Plays in Response to the Election" which will feature the readings of eight short plays by 25 actors and a post-reading discussion on the topics raised. 

$20, proceeds shared with Interweave, an interfaith educational center focused on wellness. Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m., Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, 120 Morris Ave., Summit. 908-514-9654.

A 'postmodern' take on modern music

Fans of almost any musical genre -- from jazz to swing to country to big band standards -- will find something to love when Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox plays the State Theatre of New Jersey Feb. 8. Pianist/arranger Bradlee founded the rotating music collective in 2011 and has brought the world retro interpretations of modern hits by singers including Lady Gaga, David Bowie and Radiohead.

$35-75, Feb. 8, 8 p.m., State Theatre of New Jersey, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. 732-246-7469.

A 'whodunnit' at the Morris Museum

It's like a game of "Clue" on stage: A man's been murdered and the five female suspects all seem to have something to hide. "Ravenscroft" by Don Nigro is a Gothic thriller/dark comedy playing at the Morris Museum's Bickford Theatre Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Feb. 12. Come help Inspector Ruffing -- the only male besides the dead man -- navigate his investigation's twists and turns. 

$45 for the general public with reduced pricing available for seniors, students, museum members and groups. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Feb. 12, times vary. Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown. 973-971-3700.

Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

Woman suffered smoke inhalation after fire Monday, police say.

Tawanna Sneed (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 

Tawanna Sneed was charged with arson for the Monday afternoon fire on the 200 block of 18th Avenue, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

Firefighters were called to the residential building, where they saw smoke coming from the second floor, Ambrose added. A concerned citizen told fire crews a woman was still inside.

"Upon entry into the apartment, firefighters observed Tawanna Sneed in a bedroom with evidence of a fire," Ambrose said in a statement.

Sneed was treated for smoke inhalation at Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville and later released, authorities said. Detectives determined she was responsible for the fire, he added. 

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The two men who pleaded guilty to racketeering and drug conspiracy charges each face 18 years in prison under plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Hakeem Vanderhall, left, and Eric Concepcion. (Essex County Correctional Facility)

NEWARK -- Two North Jersey men admitted Wednesday to having served as crack cocaine wholesalers for a violent city street gang.

Hakeem Vanderhall, 32, and Eric Concepcion, 30, both pleaded guilty to charges prosecutors say will see them each serve 18 years in federal prison.

The two men admitted their guilt to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Court records show Vanderhall, of East Orange, and Concepcion, of Clifton, were among dozens of alleged members of the Grape Street Crips charged under separate criminal complaints in May 2015, the result of what prosecutors said was a long-term investigation by Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.

Some of those gang members, from whom investigators say they seized numerous firearms, previously were implicated in a plot to kill an undercover FBI agent.

Prosecutors say Vanderhall and Concepcion shared a dedicated cellphone with several other gang members to take orders for thousands of "clips" of crack, which they distributed to other dealers and gang members.

In addition to the prison terms, prosecutors say each man will serve five years of supervised release under the terms of the plea agreements. Both Vanderhall and Concepcion are scheduled to be sentenced on May 16.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

One dead after shooting Wednesday.

NEWARK -- Officers interrupted a deadly shooting outside a store, tried to stop the assailants and shot one of the suspected shooters in Newark's North Ward Wednesday, according to law enforcement officials. 

City police, working with the Essex County Sheriff's Office, initially arrived at a shooting near Bloomfield Avenue and Garside Street 4:45 p.m., law enforcement sources said. One person wounded in that shooting was declared dead and another was taken to an area hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Police tried to arrest the gunmen before officers shot one suspect at Broadway and Kearney, near the initial killing scene, the sources said. No law enforcement officers were hurt. The person shot by officers was also hospitalized with wounds that were not considered life-threatening and at least one person remained at large, sources confirmed. 

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray identified the homicide victim only as a male before family could be informed. The prosecutor's office was investigating the homicide and police-involved shooting.

One woman, who declined to be named, said she saw two shooters open fire and one "young man" wounded outside the mini-market near Bloomfield Avenue and Garside Street. 

Two men at a nearby gas station said they heard approximately two or five shots and initially thought the sounds came from a car. Soon after, police rushed to the area. 

Authorities closed busy Bloomfield Avenue near Garside and Stone streets Wednesday night. A State Police helicopter made several low flights over the area as investigators worked at the scene.

Police were also investigating a separate non-fatal shooting on 3rd Avenue, near North 10th Street. It was unclear if that incident was linked to the earlier homicide.

Newark police referred questions to the prosecutor's office, which investigates police shootings.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Students chanted "hand too small, can't build a wall" and "refugees are welcome here" during a protest Wednesday.

NEWARK -- The backlash against President Trump's executive orders on immigration continued Wednesday as hundreds of students from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers-Newark protested outside Dana Library, expressing solidarity with refugees and Muslims. 

Students cheered and held signs that read: "Get your tiny hands off my Halal Guys," and "We stand with our Muslim sisters." 

Others chanted "No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here." 

The protest came a day after students at Rutgers University staged another demonstration at the New Brunswick campus. Students and community activists have been protesting Trump's executive order that temporarily bans refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely.

"Being safe involves a constant act of bravery -- risking to trust a neighbor, not because they look or speak or pray the same way you do, but precisely because they don't -- and because you recognize how much better you are because you can hold hands across the divides, the lands, the borders -- rising together, not splintering apart," Rutgers-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor said. "Let's stand together; stand firm; stand resolute in our variety, in our different journeys, and in our shared dreams."

Trump has defended his executive orders and said the order was about safety. "This is not about religion -- this is about terror and keeping our country safe," Trump said in an earlier statement.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

Gunfire again erupted in the eastern end of Bloomfield Avenue following a police-involved shooting in the area hours earlier

NEWARK-- A man was in critical condition at University Hospital Wednesday night after he was shot near Mt. Prospect Street and Bloomfield Avenue, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said. 

The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. The 20-year-old victim was quickly located and rushed to the hospital. 

Just hours earlier and about a block away, near Garside Street, police interrupted a shooting in progress. Two people were shot, one fatally, according to law enforcement sources. 

Cops shoot, wound shooting suspect 

Police shot and wounded one suspect a few blocks away. That shooting, and the fatal shooting, are under investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. 

Another shooting also occurred Wednesday afternoon, near 3rd Avenue and North 10th Street. 

It was not immediately known if any of the shootings were related. 

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.  

A snapshot of events that took place in the Garden State in Februaries gone by.

The second month of 2017 also brings the year's second installment of the "This Month in New Jersey History" gallery.

The gallery, which supplements our regular vintage photo galleries, offers a snapshot of events that took place in the Garden State in Februaries gone by.

While February is the shortest month on the calendar, it is not short on dates for significant events, births, deaths and crimes.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

If there are dates you don't see on our timeline but believe should be remembered, let us know in the comments section.

And, be sure to enable captions for the gallery so you can read all the information associated with each day in New Jersey history.

Here are links to previous "This month in N.J. history" galleries:

January     December     November

October     September     August     July

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Tariq Kyam, formerly known as Raymond Perry, has been jailed in the Essex County Correctional Facility since 2009

NEWARK -- After more than seven years in jail and two years after his last trial ended in a hung jury, Tariq Kyam took the stand in an Essex County courtroom Wednesday for the first time in his own defense.

"Mr. Kyam, were you at the A&L Deli on Feb. 6, 2009, to rob it?" asked public defender John McMahon.

"No sir," Kyam said.

Kyam, formerly known as Raymond Perry, has been held at the Essex County Correctional Facility since late February 2009 in connection with a string of five robberies he allegedly committed with David Fate earlier that month.

Authorities allege that during one of those robberies, at a Sunoco gas station in Verona, Kyam, now 51, fatally shot a 29-year-old Boonton resident, Daniel Pritchard.

In 2014, he stood trial twice on murder and robbery charges for the Sunoco slaying. Both ended in mistrials. Fate, now 32, took a plea deal on robbery charges in exchange for testifying against Kyam at both trials. He has yet to be sentenced.

Kyam's current trial, which opened two weeks ago before Judge Michael A. Petrolle, isn't for the Verona robbery and killing charges, but rather for the armed robbery of another business he allegedly targeted with Fate during their crime spree - A&L Deli in Bloomfield.

The shopkeeper identified Kyam as a regular customer, and he and another man in the store later picked Kyam and Fate out of a police photo display. Kyam was identified as having brandished a gun during the robbery.

Assistant Prosecutor Brian Matthews said a search of the apartment Kyam shared with his girlfriend turned up, among other items, a black bag taken from one of the men and a gun, which police said Kyam was trying to stuff into a couch when they burst in.

Kyam denied knowing the gun was by the couch or intentionally possessing the bag, which he said Fate -- who fled the state to South Carolina -- left at his apartment the day Kyam took him to buy an Amtrak ticket.

On cross examination, Matthews pressed Kyam on whether he was really saying he had no idea the gun was in the couch.

"That's the information in this case," Kyam said, claiming he and his girlfriend rarely went in the living room.

The Newark man did acknowledge going shopping in New York City the day of the robbery with Fate and another man, who made purchases with credit cards taken from one of the victims of the A&L robbery.

McMahon played surveillance video of the robbery for the jury, and noted Kyam wasn't seen making the purchases himself. Kyam said he was looking at a display in one of the stores when Fate suddenly came up to him and said they had to leave.

"From the way he responded, I figured out he was up to something and I didn't want no part of it," Kyam said.

Kyam testified he didn't learn until discovery in the criminal case that men had been shopping with stolen credit cards.

In closing arguments, McMahon told the jury it was reasonable to suspect Kyam's involvement in the robbery, given his admitted association with Fate and the video footage of their New York shopping spree on the stolen credit cards.

"But we gotta do more than suspect, here," he said, noting there wasn't "one instance (on video) where Tariq Kyam is going up to the register to purchase anything" with the stolen credit cards.

McMahon argued there was no reason Kyam, who lived in Newark, would have frequented the Bloomfield deli enough to be recognized as a regular customer by the victims.

The defense attorney also questioned the prosecution's focus on the gun found in Kyam's home, saying neither his DNA or fingerprints were found on it.

"There's too much doubt here, and that's really where we end," he said.

In own summations, Matthews said Kyam "has to be the most unlucky person on the planet."

If Kyam's testimony was to be believed, he argued, those close to him had involved him in serious crimes and gone so far as to leave incriminating evidence at his home.

"The proofs in this case are overwhelming," he said. "The factors you evaluate when you determine credibility I say point to the defendant's guilt."

Petrolle is expected to begin charging the jury Thursday morning.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

There is a new No. 1 team atop the NJ.com girls basketball Top 20 for the first time this season.

Scott and Mark Kelly - twins originally from West Orange - offer researchers the perfect way to see how living in space alters the body.

If scientists were designing a perfect study to see how living in space would impact the human body, they'd send one identical twin to space while the other stayed home.

Wait a minute - that's exactly what they did!

Researchers overseeing NASA's Twins Study pored over the biological readings from Scott and Mark Kelly, the West Orange natives who are both astronauts. Scott returned from nearly a year in space last March, while Mark is retired.

Mark recently joked on Twitter that the results of the study showed "we are related!"

1st results of @NASA's Twin Studies w myself & @ShuttleCDRKelly are out. Turns out we are related! But there's more: https://t.co/Ov8zV995QR pic.twitter.com/hfAG2s6MMw

-- Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 28, 2017

The study showed differences in gene expression between the two brothers, with Scott's levels of one component of DNA changing as a result of the 340 days he spent living in the International Space Station, according to Nature magazine.

Those levels eventually returned to normal after Scott Kelly's mission was over.

Scientists also found differences in the length of the twins' chromosomes, the bacteria found in their intestines, bone formation, and their basic immune response.

DNA methylation -- the process by which a chemical marker is added to DNA  -- decreased in Scott during flight and increased in Mark over the same period, according to Nature. Levels in both men returned to normal after the end of Scott's mission. DNA methylation changes how a gene expresses itself, and levels can naturally rise or fall over a lifetime.

While some of the study results will be released to the public, the two men have the final say about which elements of their personal health will remain private.

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.  

Carjacking report prompted police response.

BELLEVILLE -- Two township schools were briefly secured while police arrested two people wanted in carjacking charges in the area Thursday, police and school officials said.

No one was allowed to leave or enter School 7 and Belleville High School while police searched for the suspects, according to officials. The "lockout" order was later lifted.

There was no danger to students or staff and the "lockout" was a precautionary measure, Police Chief Mark Minichini said. Officers were also searching for any weapons possibly used in the carjacking.

The carjacking occurred in the Garden Avenue area, Belleville police said in a statement on Facebook.

"The lockouts have been lifted and all schools have returned to a regular program...everyone is safe...great job students, faculty, and BPD!," Superintendent of Schools Richard D. Tomko said on Twitter. 

Additional details were not immediately available as police investigated.

The lockouts have been lifted and all schools have returned to a regular program...everyone is safe...great job students, faculty, and BPD!

-- Dr. Richard Tomko (@BellevilleSuper) February 2, 2017

Diana Boggio was found dead in the trunk of her car in Newark, police said. Her ex-husband said she was a good mother and had just earned her degree in nursing.

NEWARK -- The Belleville woman found dead inside the trunk of her car was a mother of two who dedicated her life to caring for her kids, her ex-husband told NJ Advance Media. 

"She was a good mom," Daniel Boggio, 45, told a reporter in Spanish a day after his ex-wife, Diana Boggio, was found dead inside her white Honda Accord in Newark. "We're in shock."

Diana Boggio's Facebook profile picture. Boggio was found dead inside her car in Newark, authorities said. (Facebook)

Diana Boggio, 41, likely died from a gunshot wound, authorities said. Her boyfriend, Pedro Lora-Pena, 42, has been charged with her murder and will appear in court Thursday.

"I couldn't believe it," Daniel Boggio said. His ex-wife had been dating Lora-Pena for a couple of months and the two lived together in Belleville, Daniel Boggio said. 

"They would fight often," he said. 

Diana had recently ended the relationship, kicked Lora-Pena out and filed a restraining order on Friday, but the order had not been served to him when she went missing on Saturday, Boggio said.

Daniel Boggio, who lives in Virginia, said Diana cared for their 20-year-old daughter, who had severe autism, and he cared for their 18-year-old daughter. He said they were married for six years after meeting in Virginia -- both were Peruvian immigrants -- and divorced in 2000, but remained friends.

"We were a team," he said. So, when he received a call from a neighbor on Monday that his autistic daughter had been alone for two days, he knew something was wrong. 

"They (told) me Monday night that my daughter was alone in the house. I went running," Boggio said. "It seemed weird, she's was always attentive."

He said he was in the hospital caring for his daughter when he received news that his ex-wife had been found dead inside the car she had just purchased last year. 

He described Diana Boggio as kind, cheerful, and someone who loved to cook.

"She didn't have many friends because of her daughter, she didn't want to have a boyfriend," he said. "She lived a calm life, she was very loved."

He said his ex-wife, who worked at a medical lab, had just earned her nursing degree and had plans to leave New Jersey to be closer to her other daughter. 

"Now, none of that can be done," he said. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

The original cast returns to Paper Mill Playhouse for a month-long run.

When "Lend Me a Tenor" was last seen at Paper Mill Playhouse three years ago, things had ended on a high note: The Cleveland Grand Opera Company's show was a rousing success, Max and Maggie shared their first kiss and Tito and Maria reconciled. 

When the same actors playing most of the same characters return to the Millburn stage for "A Comedy of Tenors," at the Playhouse through Feb. 26, they'll again face instances of mistaken identity, marital strife and general mayhem.

But how it all ends is anyone's guess.

"It's a natural sequel with the same kind of hijinks and the same spirit," said director Don Stephenson, who also directed the earlier Paper Mill production, of the latest one. "The great thing about it is there's real heart inside all of the comedy and silliness. As absurd as the situations may be, they're honest and the audience can see themselves in the characters."

"Lend Me a Tenor" -- which received nine Tony Award nominations when it began its Broadway run in 1989 -- was set in an Ohio hotel suite in 1934. It featured an egotistical opera singer, his jealous wife, an aspiring opera star and an an aspiring opera groupie. 

"A Comedy of Tenors," which had its world premiere at Princeton's McCarter Center in Fall 2015, is set two years later. The setting is again a hotel suite, but this one is in Paris. The opera star and his wife are back, the wanna-be star is now a genuine one and the groupie is his now-pregnant wife. There's a new conundrum involving a need for a good tenor and -- as before -- talented singers lurk behind every door in this fictional universe.

"That's the magic of the theater," playwright Ken Ludwig explained. "Theirs is a world filled with music and opera and that's the society they deal with. What's wonderful about them is that for two to three hours, they occupy a single world."

It's not coincidental that this play's title is taken from one of William Shakespeare's most farcical comedies. Both derive their humor from the same well of misunderstandings. Ludwig is a Shakespearean scholar and the author of the 2013 book, "How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare."

"I try to write with the same resonances and threads and sense of language and largeness and romance and joy and optimism, but not a false optimism," Ludwig said. (He added that his works aren't meant to be compared to the Bard's: "He's a God, but a cat can look at a king.")

The main characters from "Lend Me a Tenor" -- including opera singer Tito and his wife, Maria; show promoter Henry and new star Max -- are played by the same actors here. Maria, the groupie in the first play, isn't seen on stage in the second. The actress who played her has now been cast as this version's ingenue.  

"They know the characters so well it's like putting on a favorite pair of shoes or gloves," Stephenson said. "You get to love characters when you work on a show even though you know they're not real. When I found out Ken was writing a sequel, I thought, 'I can't wait to see what kind of messes they get into.'"

A Comedy of Tenors

Paper Mill Playhouse

22 Brookside Drive, Millburn.

Tickets: $38 - 113, available online at https://tickets.papermill.org, through Feb. 26.

Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. 

Charles E. Miller is charged with aggravated assault in connection with an attack Saturday on the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark that was caught on video.

NEWARK -- During a profane rant in an Essex County courtroom that raised questions of his mental health, a city man accused of punching an auxiliary bishop during a Saturday Mass said he attacked the priest to strike out against what he claimed is the Catholic Church's involvement in police brutality.

Charles Miller's comments during a pre-trial detention hearing Thursday came against the advice of both his attorney and Judge Martin G. Cronin, who warned Miller -- shackled and guarded by sheriff's officers -- that statements he made would be placed on the court record.

"Anything you say is being recorded," Cronin cautioned.

"That's good," said Miller, 48, who went on to say he believed the Catholic Church is responsible for black people being killed by police in America.

"The pope is the (expletive) faith, that's why I bust him in his (expletive) face," he said.

Miller, 48, is charged with aggravated assault in connection with an attack on Rev. Manuel A. Cruz, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, while Cruz was leading a Mass at Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Video obtained and published online Sunday by TapIntoNewark shows Miller, wearing a red suit underneath a white coat and hat, walking to the front of the church and punching Cruz in the face, before being tackled by people attending the service.

In an initial appearance Tuesday before Judge Sybil M. Elias, Miller identified himself as a reverend and asked whether the Bible would be part of the evidence turned over to the defense.

Assistant Prosecutor Frantzou Simon said a review of Miller's background indicated he had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

"At this time, the state would move to seek a psychiatric evaluation of the defendant," Simon said, a request Cronin granted, ordering Miller be held pending a Feb. 8 hearing on the results of the evaluation.

Man in priest-punching video says he's a reverend

"I got psychiatric issues, you're keeping me from my medication and I got no bail," he yelled, as sheriff's officers led him back to a holding cell.

Elias on Tuesday said Miller's records indicate he has prior out-of-state convictions, as well as failures to appear in court on other charges. Court records show he was charged in 2012 with threatening a law enforcement officer while resisting arrest, an indictable offense that was later downgraded.

Cruz received non-serious injuries, and addressed a congregation Sunday to assure them he was fine, according to the archdiocese.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Man suffered from smoke inhalation

The Grace West Manor building in Newark (Google Maps) 

NEWARK -- Newark firefighters rescued a man from a two-alarm fire at a 12-story high-rise apartment complex in the city's Central Ward early Thursday, officials said.

Emergency crews responded to the fire around 12:45 a.m. at the Grace West Manor building on Irvine Turner Boulevard and found the man in a ninth floor hallway, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

The man was apparently suffering from smoke inhalation and taken to University Hospital for treatment, Ambrose said. 

Fire crews quickly escalated the response to a second alarm and had the incident under control by around 1:15 a.m., authorities said. One firefighter suffered an unspecified minor injury.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office and city fire division's arson squad were investigating what sparked the fire.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.