Newark cop accused of killing wife is indicted on charges of murder, attempted murder

hearing for John Formisano

John Formisano is led out of the court room after a hearing on Oct. 7 in front of Superior Court Judge David Ironson, The suspended Newark police lieutenant has been indicted on charges stemming from the killing of his estranged wife, Christine Solaro Formisano.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

A Newark police officer accused of killing his estranged wife in front of their two young children has been indicted, Morris County officials said.

Lt. John Formisano, 49, of Jefferson Township, was indicted in Superior Court of Morris County on a number of charges, including murder, attempted murder, endangering the welfare of a child and official misconduct, the prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday.

Formisano is accused of killing his estranged wife, Christie Formisano Solaro, and attempting to kill her new boyfriend in July while wearing his police uniform, officials said. The couple’s two young children were at home in bed at the time of the shooting.

Witnesses say Solaro Formisano tried to flee for her life, but was gunned down on a neighbor’s front porch. Her boyfriend, identified only as T.S. in court documents, was seriously injured in the shooting.

Formisano, a longtime Newark police officer, was off-duty at the time of the killings. He has been suspended without pay, Newark police said.

Under new bail reform rules, a person usually needs to be indicted within 90 days of being charged. Formisano’s indictment comes over 150 days after his arrest, after a judge granted extensions to the 90-day rule.

Formisano has been held in psychiatric facilities since his arrest, and is now receiving treatment at the Ann Klein Forensic Center, a state hospital in Trenton. It’s not clear what he is being treated for, but Formisano’s lawyer says it does not impact his ability to stand trial.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan 13. A trial date was previously set for Jan. 10, 2020.

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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