State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. John Chew, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed John Chew's capital murder conviction and death sentence, holding that the statutory aggravating factor covering murder for pecuniary gain includes killings to obtain insurance proceeds, that Chew's later confession was admissible after a valid waiver, and that the trial court did not err in omitting an accomplice instruction; a dissent argued the factor should be limited to contract killings and the death sentence should be vacated.