Bill > A833

Introduced Session

This bill, designated as "Judy and Nikki's law," would require that a person convicted of murder of a child 16 years of age or less must be sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole. This bill's title is in honor of Judy Cajuste and Nicole Giovanni, two teenage murder victims. Judy Cajuste was a bright, energetic 14-year-old high school freshman sprinter on the track team at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle. She disappeared on January 11, 2006 shortly after track practice and her body was later found in Weequahic Park in Newark. Nicole Giovanni of Roselle Park was a 14-year-old freshman and accomplished indoor track runner at Roselle Catholic High School. In February 2005 her mother bludgeoned her to death as she slept. The mother was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 30 years. N.J.S.A.2C:11-3 provides that a person convicted of murder must be sentenced either to a term of 30 years' imprisonment without eligibility for parole or to a specific term of years between 30 years and life imprisonment of which the person must serve 30 years before being eligible for parole. In addition, N.J.S.A.2C:11-3 provides for a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for the murder of a law enforcement officer, or for the murder of a child under the age of 14 during the commission of a sexual assault. This bill changes the second circumstance under which life imprisonment without parole must be imposed. The bill decreases the age of the child from 18 to 16 and removes the factor that the murder was committed during the commission of a sexual assault. Thus, under the provisions of the bill a person convicted of the murder of a child 16 years of age or less would be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Gerry Scharfenberger (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document