Bryan Cordero-Castro was charged with murder in the death of Madison Wells inside a relative's home in Long Branch in 2018, but the 22-year-old pleaded guilty on November 22, 2019, to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and third-degree attempted escape.
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Cordero-Castro received 30 years for the manslaughter charge, subject to the provisions of the "No Early Release Act," which requires him to serve 85% of the sentence before becoming eligible for release on parole.
He received an additional five years for the escape charge, to be served consecutively.
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Wells was found with stab wounds to her chest inside a home on Van Pelt Place just before 11 p.m. on September 8, 2018. She was transported to Monmouth Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 11:25 pm.
The investigation determined that Cordero-Castro and Wells had begun dating in November 2017 but that Wells had recently ended the relationship.
In the nine-hour period leading up to the murder, Cordero-Castro texted and called Wells in excess of 230 times.
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Earlier in the day, Cordero-Castro went to the Van Pelt Place home of Wells' relative looking for her. When he did not find her there, he continued to call and text her.
He ultimately went back to the Van Pelt Place residence, where she agreed to go outside and speak to him. A few minutes after going outside, she stumbled back into the house and collapsed on the floor.
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Cordero-Castro was arrested at his cousin's residence on Morris Avenue in Long Branch approximately two hours after the murder.
Once at the Long Branch Police Department, Cordero-Castro unsuccessfully attempted to escape by jumping up and trying to run out of the booking room.
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