Burlington City Man Indicted on Murder and Weapons Charges


Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a 50-year-old Burlington City resident was indicted today for fatally stabbing a man earlier this year in the house they shared in the East Farnerville section of the city.

Arthur Ayala, of East Fourth Street, was indicted by a Burlington County Grand Jury on one count each of Murder (First Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Third Degree) and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Fourth Degree).

The indictment was returned today and signed by Prosecutor Coffina. An arraignment will be scheduled soon in Superior Court in Mount Holly.

Ayala was taken into custody shortly after officers from the City of Burlington Police Department were called to the residence on the afternoon of May 6 on a report of an unresponsive male on the ground outside of the house.

Alfred Hanna, 37, who resided at the address, was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation revealed that Ayala had attacked Hanna with a knife.

An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined the cause of death to be multiple stab wounds.

Ayala is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Bob Van Gilst, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit – Violent Crimes Section. The case was investigated by the City of Burlington Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department, the Burlington Township Police Department and the Florence Township Police Department. The lead investigators are City of Burlington Detective Jamie Lambing and BCPO Detective Nicholas Villano.

An indictment is an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

2019-103 Burlington City Murder Indictment

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