Jocelyn Dahta admitted to killing Henry Boyd, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper
Jocelyn Dahta (Courtesy of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office) NEWARK -- A woman has confessed to beating a 90-year-old man to death last month in his East Orange home, a prosecutor said in court on Monday.
Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Jamel Semper cited that alleged confession from Jocelyn Dahta, 32, of East Orange, during a hearing on whether to reduce her bail on a murder charge in connection with the killing of Henry Boyd.
Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler approved a request by Dahta's attorney, Deirdre McMahon, to lower her bail from $750,000 to $600,000, in part because the judge said Dahta's prior criminal record is "not extremely lengthy."
Dahta has one prior conviction for an indictable offense, the judge said. In that case, she received two years of probation in 2007 on a charge of conspiracy to commit theft by deception, Wigler said.
Referring to McMahon's request for the slight bail reduction, Wigler said: "Under all the circumstances, that doesn't seem to be unreasonable."
Dahta remains in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility.
Boyd was found unresponsive on Feb. 9 inside his South Harrison Street apartment by a family member, and he was later pronounced him dead at the scene, authorities said. Authorities have said Dahta and Boyd knew each other.
Autopsy results indicate that Boyd died of compression of the throat and a fracture of the larynx, authorities said.
As part of her argument for a lower bail, McMahon cited Dahta's network of family and friends, her educational and employment background, and her medical history, including an incident where she attempted suicide by setting herself on fire.
In opposing any bail reduction, Semper pointed to the "the strength of the state's case," including how Dahta was arrested several days after Boyd's body was discovered and she "gave a statement indicating that she did beat the victim to death."
Semper also noted how Dahta fled the scene, anticipating that she would be a suspect in the homicide, and he claimed that behavior reflects on whether Dahta would appear in court if she was released on bail.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.