Ex-corrections officer gets prison for ‘senseless’ killings of two NJ women

A former New Jersey corrections officer who admitted to killing his girlfriend and her friend shortly after picking them up from a vacation has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

John Menendez, of West New York, was initially charged with two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of 40-year-old victims, Anna Shpilberg and Luiza Shinkarevskaya.

Menendez, now 27, was dating Shpilberg at the time.

In March, Menendez pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.

On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 25 years for each murder — to be served back-to-back.

Menendez must serve 85% of his term, or more than 42 years, before being eligible for parole.

Menendez admits to women’s killings, steroid use

Menendez arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport the night of Feb. 1, 2021, where the victims got into his vehicle.

He drove to an off-airport parking lot and shot and killed both women, using the gun he was issued as a corrections officer in Hudson County, according to a lawsuit filed by Shpilberg’s son.

Shortly after, Menendez surrendered to police and admitted to shooting the victims.

He walked up to a city police car, with blood visible on him, saying, “I killed both of them. Just arrest me, bro,” NJ.com reported.

He claimed he was taking large amounts of anabolic steroids, which he said made him unable to plan or intend to kill.

Menendez became increasingly jealous about the trip to Mexico the duo had taken without him, prosecutors said, as evident in text messages between Menendez and Shpilberg in days leading up to the killings.

Prosecutors call double killing 'senseless act of domestic violence'

Menendez shot Shinkarevskaya four times, before dumping the Riverdale woman’s body in Newark on Haynes Avenue.

Shpilberg, of Randolph, was found shot in the head in her parked car near Newark Penn Station. The slain mother had shared a special bond with her young adult son, according to a GoFundMe campaign coordinated by Roman Khodik.

Shinkarevskaya "was as genuine and warm as the shining Sun above us," according to a GoFundMe campaign set up for her cousin, by Charles Smith.

“This was a senseless act of domestic violence that resulted in the tragic death of two women,” Assistant Prosecutor Austin Edwards said in a statement on Friday. “We hope this sentence provides closure to Anna and Luiza’s families and sends a clear message that illegal steroid use is not an excuse for violence.”

Read More: NJ officer charged with murder: Thousands raised for families

Son of one victim sues killer ex-corrections officer

Menendez had worked at the Hudson County Jail in Kearny for more than a year before using his gun in the killings.

The lawsuit by Shpilberg’s son claims that he should have never been issued such a weapon, due to a volatile and steroid-addled history.

A motion to dismiss the suit was scheduled for argument on Aug. 1, court records show.

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