Mass. Woman Pleads Guilty To Murder In Boonton Slaying
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Authorities say a Massachusetts woman has admitted plotting with a New York man to murder his wife, who was shot to death as the couple walked with their toddler son along a northern New Jersey street.
Antoinette Stephen of Billerica entered her plea two weeks ago. It wasn't made public until this week when Morris County prosecutors noted it during a status conference.
The 28-year-old Stephen pleaded guilty to murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses in the August 2011 slaying of 27-year-old Nazish Noorani.
She also will cooperate in the case against Kashif Parvaiz, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident who allegedly paid Stephen to shoot his wife.
Noorani was fatally shot in August 2011 while walking with Parvaiz and one of their children in Boonton where Noorani's family lived. She was shot multiple times in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Parvaiz originally told investigators that his family was attacked by three men with guns shouting slurs about "terrorists" and opened fire on him and his wife.
But investigators quickly turned their attention to him and Stephen.
Police said Parvaiz and Stephen teamed up to get Noorani out of the picture and said they found incriminating text messages between the two leading up to the murder.
"You hang in there. Freedom is just around ur (sic) corner," read a text message prosecutors said Parvaiz received from Stephen.
Authorities said Stephen also wounded Parvaiz to make it look a random racial attack. The child was not hurt.
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