A man from New Jersey has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison for fatally stabbing another man inside a hotel last year.
In August, a jury convicted Taylor Perkins, 30, of Riverton, of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree eluding, two counts of third-degree theft by unlawful taking, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Prosecutors said the investigation began back on April 20, 2023, after the Mount Laurel Police Department was called to the Rodeway Inn along Route 73 in Mount Laurel just before 10 a.m. after receiving a report of two men fighting.
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Responding officials found the body of Michael Jefferies, 36, of Mount Laurel, on the ground outside of a second-floor room near a stairwell, according to prosecutors.
The investigation determined that after stabbing Jefferies, Perkins fled on foot to a nearby BMV dealership and drove off in a sport utility vehicle, prosecutors said. He abandoned the SUV in Evesham and stole a truck belonging to an Xfinity worker who was working up a ladder at the time.
Prosecutors said Perkins was eventually apprehended at a residence on Decatur Street in Camden.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood revealed that Jefferies died from multiple stab wounds, according to prosecutors.
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