Murphy released prisoner charged with 1st-degree murder in NH slaying

A New Jersey man who was released from state prison on orders from Gov. Phil Murphy is accused of killing two men at a hotel in New Hampshire, where he now faces a first-degree murder charge in one of the deaths.

The horrific slaying of the two men in New Hampshire after the alleged killer was released on orders from Democratic incumbent New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy might give Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican challenger, a Willie Horton moment.

Theodore Luckey, 42, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, was arrested last month on two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon.

Police responding to multiple 911 calls on Aug. 21 went to the Country Inn and Suites hotel in Bedford where they found two dead men, one in the lobby and one in a guest room.

Autopsies showed that one of the men, Nathan Cashman, 28, of Manchester, died from multiple chop wounds to the head, neck and body.

Luckey’s other victim, David Hanford, 60, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey, was strangled to death.

Attorney General John M. Formella, State Police Colonel Nathan Noyes and Bedford Police Chief John J. Bryfonski said that Luckey was previously charged with two counts of second degree murder and three counts of being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon.

Luckey has now been charged with one count of first-degree murder, as the New Hampshire attorney general’s office is alleging that he purposely caused Cashman’s death with a machete-type knife.

The incident could raise the perception that Murphy, a Wall Street millionaire who has been accused of hampering police and being weak on crime and corruption, is out of touch with New Jersey voters.

In addition to those pending charges, Luckey has now been charged with one count of first degree murder, which alleges that he purposely caused Cashman’s death by inflicting multiple chop wounds to the victim’s body with a machete-type knife.

Luckey is currently being held at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections. His lawyer said Friday he didn’t have a lot of information on the case and couldn’t comment further.