Long Branch, NJ: Officials: Ex-wife killed man and torched body in car

By DEEPA BHARATH
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Police in New Jersey have arrested a 36-year-old woman in connection with death of 42-year-old Stephen Moore, a Huntington Beach native, whose burned body was found Wednesday in the trunk of his mother's car in Long Branch, N.J.
According to a news release issued by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office on Monday, Kathleen Dorsett, Moore's ex-wife, has been arrested in connection with his death. She has been charged with one count each of first-degree murder and fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, officials said.

Prosecutors accuse Dorsett of murdering Moore and then concealing his body in the trunk of his mother's burned 2001 Nissan Altima off of Seaview Avenue in Long Branch. Officials say Moore was reported missing Aug. 16 to the Manchester Township Police Department by his employer, a local auto dealer, after he did not report for work that morning.
About 4:10 a.m. Wednesday, Monmouth County dispatchers received several 911 phone calls regarding a fire on Seaview Avenue. Officials say that was when Moore's body was found in the trunk of the burning car. Officials determined with the help of dental records that the body was that of Moore. An autopsy later revealed that Moore's death was a homicide, officials said.
Moore and Dorsett were married in 2007 but divorced in June and had a 20-month-old daughter. Prosecutors say under the terms of their custody agreement, Moore dropped off the child at Dorsett's home in Ocean Township the morning of Aug. 16. He was not seen or heard from after he dropped off his daughter at Dorsett's home, officials say.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said in the release that the investigation is ongoing and police "are actively pursuing numerous leads regarding the circumstances surrounding the victim's death and how his body came to be in the trunk of his mother's burning automobile."
Valentin said authorities are seeking the public's help in identifying anyone who played a role in Moore's death and the disposal of his body.
Dorsett faces life in prison if convicted of the murder charge and an 18-month prison term if convicted of tampering with evidence.
She remains at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in lieu of a "cash only" $1.5 million bail. Her court appearance and bail review have been scheduled for Tuesday.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Jeffrey Wilbert of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office at 800-533-7443, Long Branch Police Department Detective Michael Decker at 732-571-5695, Albert Vega of Manchester Township Police Department at 732-657-6111 or Ocean Township Police Detective Patrick Martin at 732-531-1800.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com