Prosecutors say a man accused of killing a New Jersey resident who is also suspected of killing four others in New Mexico, including his ex-wife, has admitted to killing a total of 16 people.
NJ.com has been reported that Gloucester County Deputy Prosecutor Alec Gutierrez, during an arrest hearing for the New Jersey case on Friday, said Sean Lannon, 47, said he killed Michael Dabkowski, 66, a youth mentor in Lannon whom he accused of sexually abusing him. as a child.
In addition to the murder of Dabkowski, who was found beaten at home on March 8, prosecutors argued that Lannon also confessed to killing his ex-wife, Jennifer Lannon, 39, as well as others. including “11 other individuals who were drug traffickers.”
“He admitted that he killed a total of 16 people … 15 were in New Mexico and one in the state of New Jersey. I understand that the FBI is assisting New Mexico in its investigation,” Gutierrez said Friday, according to NJ.com.
Court documents noted that Lannon confessed to the murders in a phone call with a family member, who reported admission to Gloucester County investigators.
In the call, Lannon allegedly said he “murdered his wife and boyfriends in New Mexico,” as well as Dabkowski in New Jersey. He also reportedly expressed remorse for his actions, NJ.com noted.
Lannon and his wife had three children together and moved from New Jersey to New Mexico before divorcing in 2019.
Prosecutors argue that Lannon admitted to luring several victims to a New Mexico home, where he dismantled some of them.
Although police have already connected Lannon with five dead: Dabkowski, along with his wife and three people whose bodies were found at Albuquerque’s Sunport International Airport, Lt. David Chavez in his hometown of Grann, NM, of Lannon, said there is currently no evidence linking Lannon back to the murders of eleven more people.
“Is it possible? Surely it’s possible. Is it likely? No, probably not,” Chavez told al Albuquerque Magazine, although he added that police are investigating the matter.
Lannon was arrested in St. Louis last week after a multi-state search by police. In accordance with The Associated Press, found him driving a stolen car in Dabkowski.
Lannon has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as theft, robbery and robbery in the New Jersey case.
Since Saturday, Lannon has also been named a person of interest for the deaths of his ex-wife and the other three people in New Mexico, the AP reported.
Although Lannon’s attorney general on Friday tried to argue that his absence from previous U.S. Army convictions and services qualified him for pretrial release, the local judge sided with prosecutors to keep Lannon behind bars. because “it’s a major danger to the community.” according to NJ.com.