Law enforcement sources say two have been arrested in the slaying of Michael 'Mickey Rome' DiMattia, who was found shot to death last week
HAMILTON - Two people have been charged with murder in the slaying of convicted killer Michael "Mickey Rome" DiMattia, who as found dead inside his Hamilton apartment last week, authorities said.
Marcus L. Muse, 24, of Willingboro, and Tatiana S. Cole, also 24, of Pemberton, were arrested on Monday at a hotel in Mount Laurel and charged with the murder of Michael "Mickey Rome" DiMattia. (Courtesy Mercer County Prosecutor's Office) Marcus L. Muse, 24, of Willingboro, and Tatiana S. Cole, also 24, of Pemberton, were arrested on Monday at a hotel in Mount Laurel by U.S. Marshals and the Mercer County Homicide Task Force, authorities said.
Investigators found a gun inside the hotel room consistent with the weapon used in the murder, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
Muse and Cole are each charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, and weapons offenses. The pair also stole $18,000 from DiMattia's apartment, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said the pair planned to rob DiMattia on March 17, but it ended with DiMattia being shot twice. He was dead before Hamilton police arrived at his Estates Boulevard apartment. An autopsy on Friday ruled the death a homicide.
Muse and Cole were jailed in lieu of $1 million and $500,000 bail, respectively, prosecutors said.
DiMattia, a former McCorristin High School football and baseball star, pleaded guilty in 1990 to manslaughter in the Trenton shooting death of James Howard, 17.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison but served less than three. Over the years DiMattia has had numerous run-ins with the law, including four 1998 weapons convictions.
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He was charged in 2009 with federal firearms possession and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison, with 3 years of supervised release.
He had been arrested during a motor-vehicle stop on Chambers Street in Trenton.
The officer saw a crack pipe in DiMattia's hand and ordered him out of the car, officials said then. While patting him down, an officer found three loaded handguns and saw that he was wearing what looked like body armor.
When the officer questioned DiMattia he said, "Yeah, what do you think? They all want to kill me after I killed that kid."
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In the past several years, DiMattia, free from federal prison, violated the terms of his release at least twice by testing positive for using drugs, court documents show.
Following a 2013 arrest, he was once assigned to a local drug treatment program, but failed to show up for meetings.
DiMattia was arrested again in July 2015 for testing positive for cocaine during a drug screening, as part of his supervised release.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.