Nanny’s boyfriend charged in double killing in Maplewood – NorthJersey.com

Authorities have arrested a nanny’s boyfriend in the death of his girlfriend and her employer, the owner of a popular New York City comedy club, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Joseph D. Porter, 27, of Elizabeth, has been charged with two counts of murder, authorities said. The release did not state the degree of the murder charges.

He is accused of killing Karen L. Bermudez-Rodriguez, 26, and her employer, David Kimowitz, 40, at his Maplewood home. 

Bermudez-Rodriguez died Saturday at 7:17 a.m. at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, after she was found injured and lying on the street near Walton Road and Jefferson Avenue, the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release.

Kimowitz, the owner of the The Stand Restaurant and Comedy Club, was found dead in his Walton Road home that morning, authorities said.

Bermudez-Rodriguez was the au pair for the Kimowitz family.

Porter had been dating Bermudez-Rodriguez, the Prosecutor’s Office said in the release.

Porter also was charged with possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and criminal restraint, authorities said.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly said authorities believe Bermudez-Rodriguez was residing in Maplewood and originally from Colombia.

Kimowitz’s wife and children were not present when the crime occurred, Fennelly said.

He would not say in a phone interview what weapon was used. The cause of death would be determined by an autopsy, he said.

A hearing date had not been set as of Sunday evening but would be announced by Monday or Tuesday, Fennelly said.

OUTPOURING:Comedians mourn passing of comedy club owner killed in double homicide

CRIME:Double homicide in Maplewood home of NYC comedy club owner

On Saturday, neighbors detailed what they saw and heard early that morning. 

A Walton Road neighbor, who asked that she not be identified because of the ongoing investigation, said she became aware of the trouble when she heard screams of “Oh, my God” repeated over and over Saturday morning around 6 a.m.

Later she learned that Bermudez-Rodriguez had escaped the house and a homeowner from the adjacent Woodland Road had found the woman on the street, which led to the screams.

Maplewood police responded to the area shortly after 6 a.m. on a report of a woman being assaulted.

The neighbor said other homeowners on the street had previously complained to each other about the au pair’s boyfriend, whom they had seen parked on the street sitting in his car every so often. 

“He was a fixture in the neighborhood who they were very aware of,’’ she said, noting that neighbors described the car as a sedan.

Walton Road was described as a quaint and quiet area where some neighbors don’t lock their doors. 

On Sunday, there was an outpouring of condolences by comedians and others who worked with Kimowitz.

People described him as “always smiling” and a great friend. 

He was well known in the comedy scene in New York City as one of the four founders of The Stand. It had recently closed its doors in Gramercy for a more upscale space in the Union Square area of the city.

He was also a manager of comedians, including Jason Michael “Big Jay” Oakerson.

“My dear friend, partner, manager and all around admirable human being David Kimowitz was taken away from all of us in the most senseless and violent of ways,” Oakerson said in a post on Instagram.

Funeral services were arranged for 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston. Burial was set for 2:45 p.m. at King Solomon Cemetery in Clifton. 

Staff Writers Melanie Anzidei, Monsy Alvarado and Jim Beckerman contributed to this article.

Email: carrera@northjersey.com

Read or Share this story: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/2019/08/04/authorities-charged-au-pairs-boyfriend-maplewood-double-murder/1915569001/