In the early morning hours of March 17, 2016, a 9-1-1 call led Hamilton Township Police to a grim discovery at the Victoria Apartments on Estates Boulevard. Inside one of the residences, they found the body of 53-year-old Michael 'Mickey Rome' DiMattia, a man whose life was a complex tapestry of athletic achievement and run-ins with the law. He had been shot multiple times in what investigators would soon determine was a home invasion robbery.
An autopsy later confirmed that the gunshot wounds were the cause of his death.
DiMattia was a lifelong resident of the Trenton area and a graduate of McCorriston High School, where he had once been a celebrated athlete, excelling in both baseball and football. In his later years, he worked as a consultant. However, his life was not without its troubles. He had a criminal record that included a conviction for manslaughter in 1990 and subsequent charges for weapons and drug offenses. His past seemed to cast a long shadow, one that may have ultimately caught up with him.
The investigation into DiMattia's murder moved swiftly. Within days, detectives from the Mercer County Homicide Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, zeroed in on several suspects. Their efforts led them to a hotel in Mount Laurel, where they arrested 24-year-old Marcus L. Muse of Willingboro and 24-year-old Tatiana S. Cole of Pemberton. A search of their hotel room uncovered a handgun believed to be the murder weapon and a significant amount of cash, totaling $18,000, which was stolen from DiMattia's apartment.
Shortly after the initial arrests, a third suspect, 22-year-old Joshua L. Major of Pemberton, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Beverly. All three individuals were charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, and weapons possession in connection with the death of Michael DiMattia. The motive for the fatal encounter appeared to be a planned robbery that escalated into a deadly act of violence, bringing a violent end to a life that had seen both glory and notoriety.
