newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ALICIA CRUZ

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

There is a new twist in the aggravated manslaughter case against actress Amy Locane-Bovenizer.

Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski ruled that prosecutors may compel online news site NJ.com to release information about a user named "defense44," who wrote that investigators were "lying about the facts" surrounding the Locane-Bovenizer case, MyCentralJersey.com reported.

In her ruling, Borkowski said that citizens have a reasonable expectation of privacy when using the Internet, but added that prosecutors had demonstrated that the reader's identity is "relevant and material" to the ongoing criminal investigation. In addition, Borkowski granted prosecutor's request that neither side notify the reader until the information has been obtained. But the motion may be irrelevant if the poster has already come forward, she said.

Locane-Bovenizer's attorney, Blair Zwillman told Borkowski that the motion, in fact, was unnecessary because the reader's identity has already established. Zwillman said his client's husband, Mark Bovenizer left the comment and soon after the January 28 comment appeared, Zwillman notified the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, the Courier Post reported.

In the reader's first post, which appeared at 4:11 p.m., he describes himself as just a witness in the case that is pissed the prosecution is lying about the facts when two kids and a husband are on the line to help their own career."

The poster later defends his right to debate the case despite the fact that he is a witness.

Then at 9:29 p.m., the poster writes:

"I am not going to sit back and let the State lie about untrue facts without correcting them. The fabrications they were asking me about Amy being a life long criminal are disturbing. No Record, not even a speeding ticket. They looked all the way back to the CA license and came up empty."

In his final post, the user offers "10 Tips" on how to deal with prosecutors and police, who the user said "cross the line constantly." The list includes "do not let them scare you into bending the truth," according NJ.com.

Mark Bovenizer, a wine educator, and volunteer firefighter, has made no comment in relation to the judge’s decision or the comments left on NJ.com.

According to the NY Post, Locane-Bovenizer, who was featured in the original "Melrose Place" television series, is on trial for an accident that claimed the life of 60-year-old Montgomery resident, Helene Seeman.

Investigators say Locane-Bovenizer was intoxicated as she drove her black 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe north on Cherry Hill Road in Montgomery at about 9:05 p.m. on June 27, 2010 when she struck the passenger side of the 2010 Mercury Milan driven by Fred Seeman, 60, who was turning left into his driveway at 835 Cherry Hill Road. Seeman's wife, Helene, a passenger in the Mercury, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano said an investigation found that alcohol, excessive and reckless speed were all factors in the accident. Police later learned that prior to the Seeman crash, Locane-Bovenizer had been involved in an earlier collision at the intersection of Route 206 and Cherry Valley Road in Princeton Township - seven miles away from the Seeman crash.

According to a Superior Court affidavit, the 39-year-old defendant allegedly admitted to police that she had consumed several glasses of wine before the collision.

The Hopewell resident, who was indicted on an aggravated manslaughter charge in December 2010, has been free in lieu of $50,000 bail. She is facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Locane-Bovenizer, who was born in Trenton, was featured in movies such as "School Ties" and "Cry-Baby" where she was billed under the name Amy Locane, according to her Wikipedia bio. She is the mother of two young daughters and lives just west of Princeton.

A status conference in the case has been set for May 9.