The suspect, Sean Lannon, is accused of beating Michael Dabkowski to death with a hammer at the victim’s home in East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, along with robbery and theft. Lannon was arrested as a fugitive earlier this month in Missouri.
Gloucester County Prosecutor, Alec Gutierrez, told the court during a probable cause hearing that, during a police interrogation after being read about his rights, Lannon admitted to killing Dabkowski and also 15 people in New Mexico, including his ex-wife. Jennifer.
“In this mirandized statement, the defendant admitted in New Mexico that it would be homicide in New Mexico,” said Gutierrez. “He admitted the dismemberment of some of the individuals involved in these murders. He admitted his efforts in trying to hide evidence, I will say, in these murders. And he admitted to killing a total of 16 people.”
The Albuquerque Police Department previously acknowledged that it would question Lannon in connection with four dismembered bodies found on property at the local airport on March 5 – one of which was Jennifer Lannon – but no charges have been filed in this case.
On Friday night, police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told CNN: “The Albuquerque Police Department is focused on investigating the death of Randal Apostalon, who is believed to have been killed in Albuquerque. Our detectives are accompanying several investigation clues and will be conducting additional interviews and search warrants. ”
The Grants police department in Lannon, New Mexico’s hometown, is investigating the deaths of three other known victims, but has also not filed a complaint.
Lannon attended Friday’s court hearing remotely, but did not testify and was not asked to file an argument.
His public defender, Frank Unger, opposed the inclusion of information about New Mexico’s confessions at the hearing, but did not dispute that Lannon had made the statements. Unger argued that there could be a self-defense claim in Dabowski’s murder in New Jersey, as Lannon told police that he had been a victim of sexual abuse by Dabkowski for years. Lannon said the hammer used to kill Dabkowski belonged to the victim and that Dabkowski attacked first.
Judge Mary Beth Kramer said the nature of Lannon’s accusations and the fact that he was arrested as a fugitive made him a serious risk of escape. “I think he is a danger to the community,” said Kramer, and ordered Lannon to be detained without bail.