Ex-N.J. corrections officer found shot to death
James Dewyer often tried to help drug addicts by driving them to doctor's appointments and other places they needed to be, his former wife, Judi Richter, said.
James Dewyer often tried to help drug addicts by driving them to doctor's appointments and other places they needed to be, his former wife, Judi Richter, said.
She said Dewyer was drawn to addicts - though not using drugs himself, she believes - because he was lonely. She and Dewyer had been separated for nearly 10 years, Richter said, but stayed in touch.
But in the last year, Richter said, Dewyer had isolated himself from her and his grown daughter, Vonnie. He was also living in motels.
So when Dewyer was found shot to death in a car Sunday in Burlington County, Richter, 66, said she was saddened, but not stunned.
"The people he was with, it doesn't surprise me," she said. "I just think it's a shame that he died like that. Nobody deserves that."
Police have made no arrest.
Authorities discovered Dewyer's body around 4:15 p.m. in his silver Dodge Avenger after someone called police to check on the vehicle, parked along Monica Court in Mansfield Township, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said.
Dewyer worked as a corrections officer in New Jersey for nearly 30 years, spending most of his time at the state prison in Trenton before he retired in July 2010.
His last known address was on Linden Road in Burlington Township, where he and Richter had a house with five dogs.
The couple were married for nearly 20 years, but had separated before the house was sold several years ago, Richter said. She said Dewyer spent most of his proceeds from the sale, and never found a permanent home.
Much of his money went toward driving addicts, including a waitress he met at a diner, to various places for help, she said. But they sometimes used him for his money and car, she said.
"He was hanging out with a lot of druggies," said Richter, who now lives in Woodbury. "And they took advantage of him more than once."
She said she hoped detectives would be able to determine who was responsible for Dewyer's death.
Anyone with information is being asked to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113.
856-779-3829 @borenmc