Investigator John D. McLaughlin

John D. McLaughlin

Investigator John McLaughlin and Patrolman John Norcross, of the Haddon Heights Police Department, were shot and killed while trying to serve a search warrant on a suspect being investigated for child abuse. The 38-year-old suspect had gone through a sex-change operation three years earlier to become a female.

After the officers entered the house, at 1231 Sylvan Drive, the suspect opened fire, killing Investigator McLaughlin and wounding Patrolman Richard Norcross. Patrolman John Norcross, the brother of the wounded officer, responded to the shots fired call and was shot and killed after arriving on the scene.

The suspect was found guilty of both murders and received a life sentence and a death sentence. The New Jersey Supreme Court overturned the death sentence after two separate penalty phases of the trial. The suspect was sentenced to death after a third trial but the sentence was eventually reduced to life in prison. She will be eligible for parole on February 24, 2048.

Investigator McLaughlin had recently retired from the USAF Security Police. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.