Camden County Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Killing Wife
Thursday, July 27, 2017
July 27, 2017
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a Somerdale man was sentenced today in Superior Court to 27 years in New Jersey state prison for fatally stabbing his wife last year while they were driving in Delran.
Quentin S. Fortune, 38, must serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole. Fortune pled guilty to Aggravated Manslaughter on June 19 as part of a plea agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Philip E. Haines, J.S.C.
The investigation began with a call to the Delran Police Department on March 31, 2016 at 11:25 p.m. for a traffic accident on Route 130 North near South Chester Avenue. Arriving officers discovered Cynthia Cannon Fortune, 54, on the ground of the driver’s side of a Chevy Cruze with lacerations on her neck. The knife used to inflict the wounds was in plain view inside the vehicle. The victim was transported to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro, where she was pronounced dead.
A short time later, Delran police were called to the nearby Route 130 Diner after a man came inside with blood on his clothing, asked for a glass of water and then became belligerent. The man, later identified as Quentin Fortune, was taken into custody. The investigation determined that he was a passenger in the vehicle being driven by his wife when he attacked her with a knife. He has been lodged in the Burlington County Jail since his arrest.
Following the sentencing, Prosecutor Coffina said “it is not worth commenting on this defendant. Justice – as imperfect as it can be given this horrendous crime – has been served.”
“The silver lining on this otherwise dark day is the wonderful legacy of Cynthia ‘Sue’ Cannon, as reflected by her strong extended family and friends, who described for the Court the wonderful woman Cynthia was, her devotion to family and friends – including, ironically, the defendant and his family – and the noble way she led her life,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “We should all be so lucky to know a woman like Cynthia, and may she always be remembered for the blessing of her life, and not for the tragic circumstances of her death.”
The case was prosecuted by Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Westfall, supervisor of the BCPO Trial Team. It was investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Delran Police Department. The lead investigators were BCPO Det. Brian Miller, and Delran Police Department detectives Harry Cassey and Fred Irons.