At a preliminary hearing Monday, an attorney for David ‘DJ’ Creato, Jr. maintained his client’s innocence. No deal has been offered by the state in the case yet.
By Matt Skoufalos
The homicide case against Haddon Township resident David “DJ” Creato, Jr. will have to wait at least another month before either heading to trial or being resolved by plea bargain.
In a brief status hearing Monday, Creato’s attorney Richard J. Fuschino, Jr. upheld his client’s innocence, but said that he had not yet completed his review of all the evidence provided by the state in discovery. Fuschino, Jr. described the material as “quite voluminous” and “everything I could reasonably expect.”
Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah said that no plea offer had yet been extended pending Fuschino, Jr.’s examination of the evidence. Judge John T. Kelley said the court will revisit the case March 7.
Brendan Creato
Creato, Jr. stands accused of killing his son, 3-year-old Brendan Creato, whom he reported missing from their Haddon Township apartment in October.
After a brief search, Creato’s body was recovered several blocks away from his father’s home by K-9 units. The neighborhood held a candlelight vigil for the toddler later that evening.
After months of investigation, Creato, Jr. was served with a grand jury indictment for the murder of the toddler. At the arraignment, Shah described Creato, Jr.’s whirlwind romance with a 17-year-old he met on the dating app Tinder, and alleged that he came to view the child as an obstacle to their relationship.
Members of the Denoto family, Creato’s maternal relatives, sat in the front row of the courtroom Monday as Creato, Jr. made his appearance. They were largely silent throughout the proceedings, and Shah escorted them quickly from the room as Creato, Jr. was led away in chains.
For more NJ Pen coverage of this case, click any of the headlines below:
- UPDATE: Body of Missing Haddon Twp. Child Recovered near Cooper River
- Haddon Twp. Neighbors, Searchers React to Toddler’s Death
- Community Grieves Haddon Twp. Toddler at Candlelight Vigil
- Authorities: Investigation into Brendan Creato’s Death Continuing
- Father Charged in Death of Haddon Twp. Toddler
- Brendan Creato’s Brain ‘Deprived of Oxygen’ at Death, Father’s Bail Set at $750K
