Shazam Meighoo, 38, of Newark, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and related charges in the June 20, 2012 fatal shooting of 21-year-old Sanithia Jones-Meighoo
NEWARK -- A Newark man admitted on Monday to fatally shooting his wife in front of her young daughter more than three years ago inside their city home.
Shazam Meighoo, 38, made that admission in a Newark courtroom when he pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and related charges in the June 20, 2012 killing of 21-year-old Sanithia Jones-Meighoo.
"You shot her mother in front of her, right?" Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Naazneen Khan asked Meighoo during Monday's hearing.
Meighoo replied, "Yes."
In addition to aggravated manslaughter, Meighoo pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Under a plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to recommend an 18-year prison sentence for Meighoo. He would have to serve slightly more than 15 years before becoming eligible for parole.
His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 11 before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler. During Monday's hearing, Wigler noted that, since Meighoo is not a U.S. citizen, he will likely be deported after completing his sentence.
The girl who witnessed the shooting was a child of Jones-Meighoo from a prior relationship, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Meighoo and Jones-Meighoo were legally married, but did not have any children together, Carter said.
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The day after the incident, Meighoo fled to Trinidad, Carter said. Meighoo was ultimately arrested there and extradited to the United States by U.S. Marshals in December 2014, Carter said.
During Monday's hearing, Khan noted how Meighoo initially told a detective that he came to the couple's home at 56 Stone Street in Newark and discovered his wife had been shot.
In pleading guilty, Meighoo admitted to shooting Jones-Meighoo in the residence after the couple got into an argument and she struck him with a laptop computer. Although Meighoo said his wife hit him, he admitted he did not act in self-defense and that his life was not in danger that day.
"You weren't in fear for your life though, were you, at that time?" Wigler asked Meighoo.
"No," Meighoo ultimately said.
While answering questions from his attorney, Martin Goldman, Meighoo said on Monday that the three-year-old child was in the next room at the time of the shooting and that the girl was not in danger.
But when pressed by Khan, Meighoo acknowledged the child told police she saw the shooting, and he admitted to picking up the gun and shooting his wife in front of the girl.
"You went and got it, you went and shot her in front of the child, correct?" Khan asked Meighoo.
"Yes," he replied.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.