Prosecutor in Sheridan death probe replaced
The Somerset County, N.J., prosecutor was replaced abruptly Thursday, one day after a group of highly influential political leaders criticized the county's investigation of the deaths of Cooper Health System CEO John P. Sheridan Jr. and his wife, Joyce.
The Somerset County, N.J., prosecutor was replaced abruptly Thursday, one day after a group of highly influential political leaders criticized the county's investigation of the deaths of Cooper Health System CEO John P. Sheridan Jr. and his wife, Joyce.
Geoffrey Soriano, who had served as prosecutor since 2010, will be succeeded by Michael Robertson, a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark, N.J. Robertson, of Basking Ridge, N.J., will start his new job March 7.
The 2014 deaths of the Sheridans in their Montgomery Township home were ruled a murder-suicide, a conclusion that outside experts and Sheridan friends and family members have said was the result of a botched six-month criminal investigation led by Soriano.
"Geoffrey Soriano will be departing the position of Somerset County prosecutor," said Brian Murray, a spokesman for Gov. Christie's office.
"Mr. Robertson is a seasoned attorney with over a dozen years of experience in private practice and as a prosecutor, including the last eight years as an assistant United States attorney."
Murray said his statement was "as far as we plan to go today with any remarks" regarding the change. He did not address whether the controversy regarding the investigation led to Soriano's exit. Soriano, whose term expired in October, did not respond to a request for comment.
State Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman, who recommended Soriano for the prosecutor's post, said Christie told him Thursday that Soriano's removal was a "tough decision" unrelated to the Sheridan case. Bateman, however, said he believes there was influence from Sheridan family members and their political connections.
"I think in my heart of hearts that was a factor," Bateman said, adding that Soriano enjoyed his job immensely and wanted to remain in office. "It's just disappointing, because he worked very hard. He's just top-notch."
Bateman said the criticism of Soriano has been unfair.
"He was just doing his job, and he made a determination based on the Medical Examiner's Office," Bateman said. "Nobody knows what happened in that bedroom. I don't think we'll ever know."
Questions
The Sheridans' four sons have repeatedly questioned the investigation and its conclusions. John Sheridan had a long career working closely with several governors, and was transportation commissioner when Thomas H. Kean was governor. Sheridan's son Mark, a lawyer for Squire Patton Boggs in Newark, was on Christie's transition team and served as general counsel for the GOP.
The Sheridans have been seeking to get the suicide ruling by the state Medical Examiner's Office overturned and their parents' death investigation reopened.
Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, which oversees prosecutors and medical examiners, would not comment on whether the new prosecutor plans to reopen the investigation or whether John Sheridan's manner of death would be changed on the certificate.
Mark Sheridan said he wants Robertson to reopen the case.
"Hopefully, this is the beginning of fixing the long history of problems with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office," he said. The family has alleged that county authorities have shown incompetence investigating their parents' deaths as well as two other cases. One involved the March 2015 fatal hit-and-run of Somerville's former fire chief, the second the February suicide of a lawyer under investigation for impropriety.
"The office needs someone qualified to be in charge and real changes in leadership," Sheridan said, adding, "Geoff Soriano is a good start, but the problems with that office go deeper than Geoff Soriano."
An open letter
On Wednesday, a group of nearly 200 people, calling themselves Friends of John and Joyce Sheridan, released an open letter asking that the investigation into the Sheridan deaths be reopened, and that John Sheridan's manner of death be changed from suicide to undetermined.
Among those signing the letter were Kean and former Govs. James J. Florio, and Christie Whitman; Cooper's board chairman, George E. Norcross III; a Supreme Court justice; and two former New Jersey attorneys general.
In a March 2015 news release issued by the Prosecutor's Office, Soriano concluded that John Sheridan stabbed his wife to death, stabbed himself five times, and set the master bedroom on fire.
The Sheridan sons have said the prosecutor ruled their father's death a suicide to cover up incompetence by investigators and the medical examiner.
Robertson is an assistant U.S. attorney in the Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark. He has been with the office for eight years.
"Mike has been an exemplary assistant U.S. attorney for the past eight years and this is a wonderful opportunity for him to continue his terrific commitment to public service," said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
"The appointment reflects not just the justifiable confidence in Mike's ability to lead an important law enforcement organization, but also the recognition of the deep talent pool and professionalism that characterizes this office and its alumni," Fishman said in a statement.
Robertson has also worked in organized crime/gang and violent-crimes units. He spent more than three years with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office in Newark as an assistant prosecutor. Before that, he was an associate with Robertson, Freilich, Bruno & Cohen after clerking for Superior Court in Somerset County.
In 1999, Robertson graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor's degree in administration of justice. He received his law degree from Hofstra University in 2002.
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