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By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN
Rabbi Fred J. Neulander, the former leader of a Cherry Hill synagogue who hired two hit men to kill his wife, officially learns his fate today when he's sentenced for murder.
Neulander, 61, faces life in state prison without the chance of parole for at least 30 years for orchestrating the death of his wife, Carol, on Nov. 1, 1994. The Monmouth County jury that convicted him this past Nov. 20 could not decide whether he should be executed for the crime, setting the stage for Superior Court Judge Linda G. Baxter to sentence him.
The earliest Neulander could be released from prison is 2030, taking into account the time he has served in county jails since his bail was revoked in 2000. He would be 88 years old.
Michael Riley, Neulander's attorney, wouldn't say whether the rabbi will speak on his own behalf, or even if he will be in the Camden courtroom, at today's hearing.
"That's something that will be resolved that morning," Riley said Wednesday. Neulander has the right to not attend the sentencing.
The conviction on three counts - capital murder, felony murder and conspiracy - came in Neulander's second trial. The first trial, in fall 2001, ended without a verdict when Camden County jurors deadlocked. The retrial was moved to Monmouth County due to vast publicity generated by the case, one of the most sensational murder mysteries in South Jersey history.
This morning, "multiple family members" will give victim impact statements, said Bill Shralow, spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. He would not name the relatives who will speak.
Riley said he expects the defense remarks to be fairly low- key and brief, although they'll include statements about Neulander's life and what he hopes to accomplish in prison. Neulander's options are limited, as are the guidelines Baxter must follow in sentencing him, Riley said.
"There's really not much that can be said," he noted. "The minimum is the minimum."
Neulander, the former senior rabbi for Congregation M'kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, is prepared for a barrage of statements from Carol Neulander's family, Riley said.
"It's certainly not going to be a banner day for him," he said.
Several family members - including all three of the Neulanders' children - testified during the retrial.
Matthew Neulander, an emergency room doctor and the couple' s oldest child, told jurors how his parents argued heatedly and talked of ending their 29-year marriage just two nights before the murder. During 1 1/2 days of testimony, rich with details and emotion not seen in the first trial, Matthew Neulander coldly referred to his father as "Fred" and later said he believed the rabbi was guilty.
Rebecca Neulander Rockoff, the couple's daughter, took the stand early in the retrial.
As she did in the first trial, Rockoff testified about how she and her mother were on the phone just moments before the killing. During that conversation, authorities believe, Carol Neulander's comments indicated one of the hit men, Leonard Jenoff, had arrived at the victim's home in Cherry Hill.
Jenoff and accomplice Paul Michael Daniels are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 30 for their role.
Carol Neulander's younger sister, Margaret Miele, also testified for the prosecution, saying that a few days after the slaying she heard the rabbi tell a group of mourners that police would never find the killer. She also said the rabbi showed little sorrow over his wife's death.
Benjamin Neulander, the couple's youngest child, asked the jury to spare his father's life during the penalty phase. He said his father could still do good.
Court TV, which provided coverage of the retrial, will be in Camden today to cover the sentencing, although the proceeding won't be shown live. Technicians from the cable channel were in the Hall of Justice on Wednesday stringing wires for their cameras and microphones.
Reach Michael T. Burkhart at (856) 486-2474 or mburkhart@courierpostonline.com
