Stabbing Murder Suspect To Return To Court in March

The pre-trial hearing for a murder suspect who is charged with the 2011 killing of his girlfriend in Newark has been continued to a later date again.

Jason Otis Monroe, 33, was ordered to return to court March 15 for further pre-trial and a preliminary examination is also scheduled for May 21-24.

Monroe appeared in court Friday morning with Deputy Public Defender Sam Yun. It was his first court appearance after Yun, confirmed that Monroe was currently at John George Psychiatric Pavilion, a psychiatric hospital associated with Alameda County Medical Center.

The state of Monroe’s mental condition is still unknown. His attorney and Deputy District Attorney Lindsay Walsh did not comment on the matter.

Monroe plead not guilty to murder on Nov. 4, a little more than six months after Newark police found him outside of a Newark home with his clothes and hands bloodied.

Inside the one-story home on the 36600 block of Cherry Street, officers found Evangeline Supena Contillo, 25, dead of apparent stab wounds.

Family members have said that Monroe and Contillo had lived in the house with their two sons and Monroe’s mother.

His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 15 at the Fremont Hall of Justice, Dept. 605.

Other court appearances are as follows (chronological order):

• April 29: Monroe appeared in court for an arraignment, but it was pushed to May 2.
• May 2: Judge Dennis McLaughlin ordered a mental evaluation after Monroe stated he had been taking a variety of antipsychotic drugs. It was also learned that Contillo had a restraining order against him at the time of her murder.
• May 4: Monroe appeared in court with Public Defender Kristen McCannon and requested to represent himself in court after making dramatic statements in which he claimed his children were “caught in the middle of something horrific.”
• May 6: Monroe rescinded his request to represent himself and McLaughlin accepted Monroe’s request to be represented by a public defender.
• May 18: Monroe appeared in court with Deputy Public Defender Marvin Lew, and a plea was scheduled for June.
• June 24: Monroe’s plea was delayed to September.
• Sept. 1: Monroe’s plea hearing is delayed to November.
• Nov. 24: Monroe pleads not guilty to one count of murder.
• Jan. 20: Monroe’s attorney delays pre-trial hearing and states that Monroe is at John George.

Articles after Monroe’s arrest:

• Update: Man Arrested After Woman Found Dead in Newark Residence
• Video: Police Talk About Wednesday’s Fatal Stabbing

Articles on Contillo:

• Police Identify Woman Killed in Stabbing
• Family Mourns Slain Newark Woman
• Family, Friends Say Final Farewell to Slain Newark Woman

Union City Patch Editor Zoneil Maharaj contributed to his report.