By JASON NARK and KAREN KENNEDY-HALL
Courier-Post Staff
FREEHOLD
The testimony of two of Rabbi Fred J. Neulander's three adult children was critical in convicting the Cherry Hill clergyman of his wife's 1994 murder-for-hire, a juror in the rabbi's retrial said Friday.
In a telephone conversation, juror Jeff Marks also said jurors largely accepted the word of Leonard Jenoff, an admitted liar, who said the rabbi hired him to kill Carol Neulander.
Marks also said it bothered him that Neulander had such nice things to say about his wife during Friday's address to the jury.
"To say those things, and say I love her and still love her is very inconsistent, kind of sick," Marks said.
"He expected us to believe him."
Marks also expressed a measure of regret over the life the rabbi has wasted.
"I think he has a lot of problems. I feel bad for him," Marks said.
Marks said the testimony of Matthew Neulander and Rebecca Neulander Rockoff was powerful.
"I can relate to how the children are feeling. I can't imagine how they go through life knowing their father killed their mother," Marks said.
Along with the children's testimony, Marks said Jenoff was believable because the information was corroborated.
"We all had our doubts about Jenoff's credibility," Marks said. "He's a liar but he's telling the truth about some things."
On Friday, Marks was the only juror who addressed the media as the others were led out of the Monmouth County Courthouse and into a county sheriff's van away from the media.
On Wednesday, after 27 hours of deliberation, the jury returned guilty verdicts for capital murder, felony murder and conspiracy.
Marks said the guilty verdict was relatively easy.
Marks said even though Neulander didn't seem remorseful, he didn't hold it against him that he didn't cry.
"There's no crime in that," he said. But Marks said when you add everything together, "you get overwhelmingly guilty."
He said the jury didn't vote until the end of the second day, or beginning of the third day.
"I believe it was 9-to-3 guilty. After that we took one more, 11-to-1 to convict," Marks said.
Marks said deciding on the punishment was much more difficult.
"It's a very difficult decision to take another person's life," said Marks, his eyes visibly red. "I tried to think of Carol's children growing older without her around. That' s very unfortunate for them."
There was little talk of the sentencing verdict in the jury room, Marks said, but rather a silent, anonymous vote.
"There were two votes cast, one was death and one was life and we stopped right there," he said.
"As soon as we came to the decision that one person was against it, that was it. We didn't want to discuss it."
Another juror, 44-year-old William Kresnosky of Howell, Monmouth County, declined to elaborate on Friday's sentencing, but issued a statement to his fellow jurors.
"This was a difficult trial. Our deliberations are for me a private matter. It was a privilege to serve with these jurors," said Kresnosky over the telephone.
Marks said he felt the jurors worked well together and respected each other. And ultimately he said he is pleased with the outcome.
"It's punishment enough for him to be in prison for 30 years and think about what he did to his wife and children. That's a pretty good punishment."
Reach Jason Nark at (856) 486-2473 or jnark@courierpostonline.com
