A suspended New Jersey police officer has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, which is about gunning down his ex-wife in front of their seven-year-old daughter. Reports say that the daughter was inside her father's car during the incident.
In a report by NBC News, the officer has been identified as Neptune Township Sgt. Philip Seidle. His attorney, Edward Bertucio, pleaded not guilty on his behalf on murder, weapons, and child endangerment charges.
Accordingly, Seidle was not on duty at the time of the alleged killing and his daughter was in the front seat of his vehicle. He reportedly chased the car that his ex-wife, identified as Tamara, was driving on June 16 last year. Authorities believe he got out of his car and fired his service weapon several times into her vehicle. The 51-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital where she later died.
ABC News also reported that after a 30-minute standoff with the police, he surrendered and let the officials take his daughter from his vehicle. He also tried to put his service weapon to his head during the standoff.
After the arrest of Seidle, it was found out that Neptune police had documentation of 21 calls to the home of the former couple due to reports of domestic violence. The divorce papers of Tamara states that she was threatened and abused by her husband several times.
Bertucio said in a statement that a possible plea bargain with the prosecutors is in the works but there are no available details yet, The Guardian reported. He added, "We're in discussions. It's a sensitive point in the case. I have no idea what Mr. Seidle plans to do. Whatever it is will be in keeping with the best interests of his children."
It is unclear where the seven-year-old daughter is. The former couple had nine children in total whose ages range from 7 to 24. The two have been together for nearly 25 years before they ended their marriage on May 27 of last year.
