MOUNT HOLLY – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a Burlington Township resident received a life sentence yesterday in Superior Court for fatally stabbing his mother’s boyfriend following an argument inside their residence in late 2017.
William E. Hines Jr., 35, was convicted in September of 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 sentence, handed down by the Hon. Charles A. Delehey, J.S.C., equates to 75 years in prison with no parole eligibility for 68 years.
“William Hines became angry when asked to get up from the sofa so his mother and Scott Willis could clean the apartment,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “He waited until Mr. Willis entered the bathroom to shower a short time later and stabbed him multiple times with a knife from the kitchen. This was a calculated and extremely violent attack, and this sentence is just.”
The investigation began after Burlington Township police officers were called to the residence in the Chateau Apartments on Sunset Road just after 10 a.m. on October 29, 2017, for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, officers discovered Mr. Willis, 54, on the bathroom floor suffering from multiple stab wounds and lacerations to his face, upper chest, hands and arms.
Hines fled the apartment but was apprehended the next day. He was initially charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose. The charges were upgraded to Murder after Mr. Willis passed away at Cooper University Hospital in Camden on November 4.
The case was tried by BCPO Assistant Prosecutors Bob VanGilst and Jensen E. Vizzard. The investigation was conducted by the BCPO Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Unit, along with the Burlington Township Police Department. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Michael Reagan and Burlington Township Detective Michael Casella. The lead Crime Scene Unit investigator was Detective Tim Horne.