Monique Moore, 24, is accused of stabbing to death 29-year-old Joseph Wilson.
FREEHOLD -- A Neptune Township woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death after he tried to break up with her is a preschool teacher whose employer wants her back in the classroom.
Calling Monique Moore an "invaluable" employee, Amy Weiss, the owner of Kiddie Academy in Neptune Township, pleaded on Thursday with Judge David Bauman to reduce Moore's bail during a hearing in Superior Court in Monmouth County.
"She's the sweetest most honest person I've ever met in an employment situation," Weiss told Bauman in the courtroom. "She is not a risk to anyone. ... I am praying she can come back as soon as possible."
Moore teaches 2- and 3-year-old children and has been a full-time employee at the school for four years. Moore also works a second job at a cosmetics store.
Moore, 24, was charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 27 stabbing death of Joseph Wilson, 29, of Neptune.
Moore's attorney, Michael Chazen, requested Bauman reduce his client's bail from $1 million to $100,000. He argued Moore had strong ties to the community, employment, "perfect" relationships with family and her pastor, and she would agree to surrender her passport.
Bauman reduced Moore's bail to $200,000 with no 10-percent option. Bauman also ordered Moore to surrender her passport.
Authorities said Moore stabbed Wilson during a dispute the two were having inside her apartment in the Neptune Court affordable housing complex on Heck Avenue in Neptune Township.
Moore is accused of stabbing a man inside her apartment at the Neptune Court affordable housing complex on Heck Avenue. (Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki said the dispute stemmed from Wilson's attempt to end the relationship.
Wilson's father, who shares the same name as his son, told the Asbury Park Press that his son had dated Moore for one month and wanted to get back together with his previous girlfriend, who the younger Wilson shares two children with.
Neptune police located Wilson shortly after 11 p.m. outside in the area of Moore's apartment after they received multiple 911 calls about the stabbing.
Wilson was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was pronounced dead.
Zanzuckki said Moore made several attempts to block Wilson's exit from her apartment during the dispute. She said the knife was lodged six inches into Wilson's body, through four layers of clothing, and punctured his heart and lungs.
Wilson's mother, Daisy Garcia, started to cry as Zanzuckki described the severity of the stab wound.
"This is a serious, if not the most serious of crimes," Zanzuckki told Bauman.
However, Chazen said during and after the proceeding that Moore acted in self-defense.
"From day one, Monique Moore has maintained that she needed to use force to defend herself," Chazen told NJ Advance Media outside the courtroom.
Chazen told Bauman that reports indicate a witness told police after an initial altercation, Wilson left the apartment. He then returned, according to the witness, and banged on Moore's door. She then warned him, "I'm going to stab you," the witness said, according to Chazen.
"It sounds like ... force was possibly going to be necessary," he said.
Bauman said it's unclear if that was the series of events, and that the witness' statement could be interpreted as if Moore was positioned behind Wilson when she threatened to stab him.
"I'm not making any judgments," he maintained, "because this is not evidence."
Zanzuccki said Moore lied to investigators about the positioning of the knife following the stabbing, first telling police it was lying next to her but then later saying it was on the table.
Moore was charged with possession of drugs in Asbury Park in February 2015. She pleaded guilty to a borough ordinance and paid a $57 fine.
Chazen said Wilson had a "long criminal record," with charges that include aggravated assault.
A petite, teary-eyed Moore sat in the jury box in a maroon prison jumpsuit during the hourlong proceeding. After the hearing, she lifted her shackled hands to her face and blew friends and family members a kiss as she was escorted out of the courtroom.
Wilson's family and friends filled the first row of the gallery. They declined to comment after the hearing.
If convicted of murder, Moore faces anywhere from 30 years to life in state prison.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.