Federal Murder Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025
60 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 60 received a prison term, 15 received a life sentence, and the median prison term was 294 months (24.5 years). Across all 94 districts, the median was 240 months.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 › Murder: District of New Jersey
In brief: 60 people were sentenced in the District of New Jersey for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 60 received a prison term, 15 received a life sentence, and the median prison term was 294 months (24.5 years). Across all 94 districts, the median was 240 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 60 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Prison Terms and Life Sentences
All 60 people (100%) received a prison term. 15 of them received a life sentence.
The median prison term was 294 months (24.5 years). A quarter received 470 months or more, and a quarter received 162.8 months or less.
For murder across all 94 districts, the median was 240 months, and more than 99% were sent to prison. The median in this district was higher. For all offenses in the district, it was 37 months.
Plea or Trial: 40 and 20
40 of the 60 people (67%) pleaded guilty, and 20 were convicted after a trial. Across all 94 districts, 78% pleaded guilty, and for all offenses in this district the figure was 97%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 237 months. After a trial it was 470 months, based on 20 people. Every guilty plea (100%) had a written plea agreement.
The records do not show why these medians differ. They describe different groups of cases.
Which Guidelines Were Used
The Commission assigns the "Murder" offense type from the primary guideline. 42 people were sentenced mainly under §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), and 16 under §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder).
1 person was sentenced under §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact), and 1 under §2X1.1 (Attempt, Solicitation, or Conspiracy (Not Covered by a Specific Offense Guideline)).
Murder cases were less than 1% of the 6,441 people sentenced in the district.
Position Against the Guideline Range
For all 60 people, the position is recorded. 42% (25) of sentences were within the range, and 52% (31) were below it at the government's request. 5% (3) were below it without a request, and 2% (1) was above it.
Across all 94 districts, 39% were within the range, and for all offenses in this district, 37%.
A mandatory minimum applied to 26 of the 60 people (43%).
Supervised Release, Fines, and Restitution
All 60 people (100%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 60 months. 1 person (2%) received supervised release for life.
A fine was ordered for 2 people (3%), and restitution for 11 (18%).
Prior Record
35% had the least prior record (criminal history category I), and 18% had the most (category VI). Military records on this site do not have a matching field.
Yearly Counts Vary Widely
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 30 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 30. One year, fiscal year 2017, had 21 of the 60 people.
Other years had between 2 and 10 people. Medians range from 63 months to 470 months across years, and with counts this small the table does not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 470 months | 0 of 2 |
| 2017 | 21 | 240 months | 62% |
| 2018 | 3 | 470 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2019 | 4 | 415 months | 2 of 4 |
| 2020 | 2 | 367 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2021 | 2 | 63 months | 1 of 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 360 months | 2 of 3 |
| 2023 | 8 | 264 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2024 | 5 | 120 months | 5 of 5 |
| 2025 | 10 | 336 months | 60% |
Limits of the Records
Only people who were convicted and sentenced are counted. Anyone acquitted or whose charges were dismissed is not in the data, and the terms shown are those imposed, not served.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is in New Jersey. Courts-martial are tried in military courts, and this post gives federal numbers only.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Jersey (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Jersey") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (60). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Jersey, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.