Mysterious Details Emerge In East Windsor Murder: Cops

EAST WINDSOR, NJ - He allegedly said he had "done something bad" the night his neighbor was killed.

That was just one of the mysterious details that have emerged in the case of an East Windsor man accused of murdering his neighbor now that an affidavit has been released.

Jeffrey Vasquez-Calderon, 37, denies killing 30-year-old Luis Sanchez, but his roommate told authorities he asked her to hide multiple items and that he had “done something bad,” according to the affidavit that was released on Wednesday.

Vasquez-Calderon, 37, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in the Sanchez's death, according to Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri and East Windsor Township Police Chief James A. Geary.

Here are some new details revealed in the affidavit that was released by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office:

• Vasquez-Calderon and Sanchez were seen together at the Exit 8 liquor store in East Windsor during the early morning hours on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The two were seen leaving the liquor store and lounge together at about 2:10 a.m.
• Vasquez-Calderon claims they went to Sanchez’s home before the suspect went to his own house to pick up beer, according to authorities. Both men live on Bennington Drive.
• He said that when he returned, sometime after 2:10 p.m., he found Sanchez on the ground face down, authorities said. He told authorities he picked Sanchez up and got blood on his clothes. It's not clear why he did not immediately call authorities.
• Sanchez's roommate, however, was the person who initially reported finding Sanchez's body, at about 8:30 a.m. Upon arrival, East Windsor police found Sanchez's body on the back patio area of his home. There were visible wounds and trauma to his body, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
• Vasquez-Calderon told police he washed his sweatshirt and sneakers and threw them away in a dumpster at the Cranbury Inn, where he works. He threw his pants away in a dumpster at Diversified Rack and Shelving, where also worked with his girlfriend and Sanchez, authorities said.
• After viewing surveillance video from Exit 8 and identifying Vasquez-Calderon, police interviewed his girlfriend. She told them she saw Vasquez-Calderon at about 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 27. She also said Vasquez-Calderon was the last person to see Sanchez alive.
• At about 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 27, the manager of the Cranbury Inn alerted police that Vasquez-Calderon was there – nearly 24 hours after the murder.
• When police arrived and confronted him, Vasquez-Calderon had a lunch bag with red stains on it and his sweatshirt in the dumpster, police said. At this time, they interviewed him, and he gave his version of events.
• After interviewing Vasquez-Calderon, police obtained a search warrant for his home, where they found suspected blood on the screen door and near the entryway. They said they also found a knife with a wooden handle on the kitchen counter and a black bag containing grey pants with reddish-brown stains in the dishwasher.
• Police then interviewed his roommate, who said he asked her to get rid of specific items from the basement, according to police. She said she took the black bag from his area of the basement and put it in the dishwasher, and moved the knife from the sink to the counter. She also said Vasquez-Calderon told her he had “done something bad.”
• Vasquez-Calderon was subsequently arrested. The details of his arrest have not been revealed, but he was being held in Essex County on an ICE detainer. He was then extradited to Mercer County, had his first court appearance last week, and is scheduled for a pre-trial detention hearing on Thursday morning.

An online fundraiser has been launched to help with funeral costs for Sanchez, who was an award-winning artist and father. As of Wednesday morning, it had raised just over $7,200. To donate, visit gofundme.com.