On February 16, 2021, Luiza Shinkarevskaya, a 40-year-old female, was fatally shot in Newark, New Jersey. She and her best friend, Anna Shpilberg, also 40, were killed by John Menendez, a 24-year-old Hudson County corrections officer. The two women, who had emigrated from Ukraine to the United States years prior, were returning from a vacation in Cancun, Mexico.
Menendez, who was in a romantic relationship with Shpilberg, had become enraged that they went on the trip without him.
After picking up the two friends from Newark Liberty International Airport, Menendez drove to a park-and-fly lot where he shot Shinkarevskaya in the head. He then drove a short distance away to an area near Newark Penn Station and shot Shpilberg, who was in the passenger seat of her car. Shortly after the shootings, Menendez, with blood on his clothes, approached a Newark police officer and confessed to the killings, stating, 'I killed both of them. Just arrest me, bro.' The 9mm handgun used in the murders was found near Shinkarevskaya's body.
John Menendez was immediately taken into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and weapons offenses. In the days leading up to the murders, text messages revealed Menendez's growing anger and jealousy over the women's vacation. He later claimed that his use of anabolic steroids made him unable to intend to kill. In March 2025, Menendez pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to 50 years in state prison, receiving two consecutive 25-year terms. Under the terms of his sentence, he must serve 85% of his term before being eligible for parole.
