Man accused of killing au pair girlfriend, NYC comedy club owner likely has ‘immigration issues’ – NJ.com

The Elizabeth man accused of killing his au pair girlfriend and her boss in Maplewood this summer is more than likely not a United States citizen, his public defender said in Superior Court of Essex County.

Authorities say Joseph Porter, 27, in August chased Karen Bermudez-Rodriguez, 26, down a street and stabbed her because she wanted to end their relationship. Porter is also accused of fatally stabbing her boss, well-known comedy club owner David Kimowitz, inside his Walton Road home.

Porter pleaded not guilty on Tuesday during his arraignment on an 11-count indictment, which includes first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary and weapons crimes. Porter is being detained pending trial.

During the hearing, Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler asked Porter’s lawyer if there were any “immigration issues.”

“Judge, there likely are going to be collateral consequences to discuss with an immigration attorney,” Elayna Thompson, a public defender, responded.

When Wigler asked if her if he was not a U.S. citizen, Thompson replied, “That’s my understanding.”

Porter’s exact status in the United States was not discussed during the appearance, and Thompson declined comment to NJ Advance Media after the hearing.

Porter listened to the Tuesday hearing through a Spanish interpreter.

Authorities have said Bermudez-Rodriguez and Porter had been texting shortly before the murders about ending their relationship. The live-in nanny told Porter that she wanted the keys to the house that she worked at back from him, according to court documents.

Those keys were used by Porter to enter the Kimowitz’s home, court documents claim. Authorities said Kimowitz’s wife and children were not home at the time.

He first stabbed Kimowitz, 40, on the second floor and then bound Bermudez-Rodriguez with tape. She was able to escape and ran out into the neighborhood but Porter followed her.

Neighbors found her bleeding in the street and called police. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Porter, who had recently divorced his wife of six months, was later arrested at Newark Liberty International Airport to board a flight to Cancun, Mexico.

The slayings rocked both the comedy club and au-pair community. Kimowitz owned The Stand Comedy Club in New York City and Bermudez-Rodriguez was remembered as a mentor to au pairs in the area.

A fundraiser was created to help Bermudez-Rodriguez’s family return her body to Colombia and a memorial fund was created in Kimowitz’s name.

Domestic violence homicides have increased in New Jersey since 2010, according to state police. A majority of the 52 people murdered in domestic violence disputes in 2016 were women, data from the latest year available shows.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico.