He killed a man, partially burned the body and scattered remains — 10 years later, NJ man gets prison
⚠️ Michael A. Zappley admitted to killing Miguel Martinez III in Deptford in 2016.
➡️ Investigators recovered 106 bones from properties on Fox Run Road in 2020.
🔴 Zappley must serve more than 10 years before becoming eligible for parole.
A Gloucester County man gets a dozen years in prison, after admitting to the violent killing of a 30-year-old victim over a decade ago, then burning the body and scattering the remains.
On Friday, 69-year-old Michael A. Zappley, of Westville, was sentenced to 12 years by Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Niki Arbittier for the 2016 death of Miguel Martinez III in Deptford.
Zappley pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter last month.
A missing man and a trail leading to Deptford
Martinez was reported missing by worried family members on June 15, 2016.
Detectives carried out a search that delved into his phone records.
Those last placed him about half a mile from a Deptford auto body shop managed by Zappley at the time, along Delsea Drive.
A few months later, detectives spoke with an inmate who shared hearing a conversation about a homicide in the area of the same auto body shop of a victim named “Miguel,” according to an affidavit filed by investigators.
Still, it was not until four years later in January 2020, when a witness came forward with details on how Martinez was killed in 2016 and how the body had been stashed.
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Investigators recover 106 bones from Deptford properties
Investigators searched multiple properties on Fox Run Road in Deptford, where they recovered 106 bones — about half an adult human skeleton.
DNA and genetics testing proved the remains belonged to Martinez.
After the evidence was recovered, Zappley admitted to fighting with Martinez in June 2016.
He said he grabbed the victim from behind, choking Martinez, and then once he was on the ground, hitting him in the head with a steel door.
Zappley said he left the body outside overnight.
Zappley must serve more than 10 years before parole
He then wrapped it in a blue tarp and took it to a wooded area off Fox Run Road, where he set it on fire.
The victim’s remains were then split between the woods, and a trash bag that Zappley brought to a different location.
Of his term, Zappley must serve more than 10 years before becoming eligible for parole.
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Gallery Credit: Rick Rickman
