Highland Park man accused of killing ex-girlfriend to remain in jail – My Central Jersey
ELIZABETH – A Highland Park man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping their 2-year-old child pleaded not guilty Tuesday but was ordered to remain jailed while his case proceeds.
During a brief detention hearing before Union County Superior Court Judge Richard Wischusen, Tyler Rios’ attorney Nicholas Korman conceded probable cause to all complaints, adding there was nothing he could put before the court to overcome the presumption of detention for his client.
Rios, 27, dressed in orange jail attire, appeared remotely from the Essex County Jail, where Union County sends its inmates, without lifting his head for the camera during the livestreamed court session.
Rios was notified four motions were filed by the state, represented by Union County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Grady – motions to revoke release under an earlier matter in which Rios was released, to detain him for the alleged violation of a previous no contact order with the victim, to detain him under the kidnapping charge and to detain him under the allegation he murdered the victim, Yasemin Uyar, 24, of Rahway.
Rios answered “yes” when asked if he had given up the right to a hearing to rebut those motions.
He also responded that he had enough time to speak with his attorney about that decision, and that no one had forced him to make it.
Wischusen granted the four motions.
Rios is scheduled to return to court in late August.
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Rios made his first court appearance last week and was formally charged after being extradited from Tennessee, where he was arrested July 10 after an Amber Alert was issued for the disappearance of Uyar and their 2-year-old son Sebastian.
Uyar’s half-naked body was found stuffed in a duffel bag and discarded in the woods. An autopsy revealed the 24-year-old woman was strangled and suffered blunt-force trauma on July 8, two days before her body was found, court papers say.
Her memorial service was held last week.
Family and friends have said Uyar battled an abusive relationship with Rios, who she met when they attended Highland Park High School. Court papers say Rios had a history of stalking, harassment and terroristic threats, and a restraining order was issued.
Rios has been charged with causing the death or serious bodily injury of an individual, subjecting her to strangulation in Rahway on July 8, a first-degree crime; disobeying a judicial order by standing outside the victim’s residence on July 8, a fourth-degree crime and kidnapping on July 8, a first-degree crime.
According to court papers, Highland Park police received information July 9 that Rios called a relative and said he had a dead body, believed to be Uyar, in the back of his car. Uyar could not be reached by phone by her sister, court papers say.
Rahway police checked Uyar’s home, but when no one answered, entry was made through an open second-floor window, court papers say. Neither Uyar, her son or her vehicle, a 2018 Ford Fiesta, were located, and an Amber Alert was issued.
Police found an adult T-shirt, sweatpants and pajama pants with a urine scent in the home, according to court papers.
Rios called someone he knew from a blocked number and admitted to having possession of his son and allegedly said he killed Uyar, and that her body “had been in the vehicle for days, until he disposed of her remains off of a highway,” according to court papers.
New Jersey State Police traced the blocked phone call to Tennessee, where the local sheriff’s office found Uyar’s car in a hotel parking lot and located Rios in a room there with the boy, according to court papers. Rios was taken into custody when he refused to exit the room and the boy was safely rescued, court papers say.
Rios later led police to Uyar’s body in a wooded area about 2,300 feet away from the hotel, court papers say.
Although Rios faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of a first-degree crime, Uyar’s family has supported an online petition, which has more than 15,000 signatures, seeking the death penalty for Rios. Capital punishment, however, was abolished in New Jersey. Uyar’s family also has called for changes in domestic violence laws.
Rios’ attorney is no stranger to high-profile cases.
Korman represented Ahmad Khan Rahami, who in 2019 was convicted of the attempted murder of five Linden police officers following a 2016 daytime gun battle after he was found sleeping in the doorway of a Linden business. Rahami was wanted by local, state and federal authorities for a Chelsea, New York bombing and the bombing of the Marine Corps Semper Five charity race in Seaside Park.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.