A violent repeat offender who allegedly murdered his twin sister in New Jersey last week was released on bail earlier this year after shooting a passerby in the back during a shootout in Manhattan.
Jonathan D. Hagley, 26, is being held in the psychiatric ward at the Bergen County Jail after police say he shot and killed his twin, Naomi Hagley, on Thursday at their home on Hickory Street in Teaneck, according to jail records and the county prosecutor’s office.
It’s unclear what prompted the murders, but when police arrived at the quiet suburban home just minutes from Manhattan, they found Naomi fatally wounded, dead from three gunshot wounds that the twins’ father said came from Hagley’s handgun.
Officers arrested the suspect a few blocks away and discovered a Glock 30S handgun with the serial number scratched off in the same location.
But this is not the first time Hagley, who is currently charged with murder, weapons and obstruction charges, has faced justice.
About eight months ago, Hagley allegedly shot a man in the back as he was chasing two men during a shootout in Harlem. According to Bergen Records.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mary Rogowski said at Hagley’s hearing eight days later that the Jan. 15 incident began when two unidentified people approached Hagley near his apartment on West 136th Street and fired two shots before fleeing.
During the confrontation, which was caught on camera, Hagley allegedly chased the men around the block before firing three shots in the middle of a busy intersection in broad daylight, according to the Record.
One of the bullets struck a 37-year-old pedestrian wandering near the median strip in the spine.
Authorities found three shell casings at the scene, Rogowski said, and one gun and an extended magazine were recovered on Seventh Street, where Hagley slipped between cars and slowly entered the deli.
The gunman, who was on parole from a previous conviction in the Garden State at the time, was hit in the buttocks by a gunman and required medical treatment, according to the Record.
He pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder, assault and other charges during a Jan. 23 hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court.
A judge ordered Hagley held on bail at $100,000 cash or $300,000 surety, but the Record reported that Hagley managed to post the bail and was released.
Eight months later, his twin sister allegedly became the next victim.
Hagley, who is scheduled to appear in Manhattan court on Sept. 9, was also scheduled to appear in Bergen County court on Friday.
But because the defendant was sedated, his lawyer, David Blum, waived the hearing.
New Jersey prosecutors plan to hold Hagley in custody pending trial, the Record reported. Hagley is due to appear again in court next week.
Hagley, the gunman, has a long history of getting into trouble.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, burglary and criminal possession of a weapon in 2016 after attempting to clean an apartment in Garfield, New Jersey, and was sentenced to seven years in state prison in March 2018, according to the Record.
Hagley was charged with assault after he allegedly slashed another inmate in the face with a knife while awaiting trial in the Bergen County Jail.
The lengthy sentence is part of a comprehensive plea deal that combined both charges into one, according to the Record.
Hagley fought his conviction but lost all appeals.
As a result, he remained in prison until his release from Bayside State Prison in November 2022.
