A Bloomfield man accused of killing a Rahway woman in her home refused to attend his initial court hearing.
ELIZABETH -- A man accused of murdering a Rahway woman this month was scheduled to appear in court twice since his arrest and both times he refused.
Roberto Grillo, who is charged with killing 36-year-old Yolanda Vega on Dec. 6, declined to attend a first appearance in the case on Dec. 18.
On Monday, Grillo's lawyer, Celeste Smith of the Public Defender's Office, told Gross that the defendant waived his right to appear in court and again would not be attending.
Smith, in respond to questions from Judge Joan Robinson Gross, confirmed that she had met with the 38-year-old Bloomfield man and made certain that he was aware of the murder charge filed against him.
Authorities say Grillo, who was known Vega, strangled the woman in her Beacon Street home in Rahway.
A complaint filed in Superior Court states that the probable cause of the murder charge is based on sworn statements from witnesses and physical and forensic evidence that incriminates Grillo. However, the complaint gives no details about the evidence.
Questions still surround the death of Vega, a mother of two sons. Neighbors say one son discovered a masked gunman hiding in a closet on Dec. 6 and ran to a couple next door. They said the masked man fled, but a neighbor briefly chased him until police arrived and questioned him while the gunman escaped.
Neighbors said police searched the house with a dog, but did not find Vega, and relatives filed a missing person's report. At about 4 a.m. the next day, Dec. 7, a family member found Vega's body in the basement, neighbors said.
The Union County Prosecutor's Office said Linden police arrested Grillo late on Dec. 6 when he was allegedly found trespassing on the Phillips 66 Refinery property about a half a mile from Vega's home. The arrest came less than two hours after Rahway police were reportedly called to Vega's home.
The murder charged was filed eight days later, on Dec. 15, according to court records.
Questions remain because Rahway police and the Union County Prosecutor's Office have declined to comment on whether the police were at the Vega house on Dec. 6.
At the time of his arrest, Grillo was free on $100,000 bond for a charge of sexually assaulting a juvenile. He is being held on $2 million bond.
Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.