2 Found Guilty in Murder of Egg Harbor City Woman

Two Atlantic County men were found guilty yesterday for their part in the 2010 shooting death of an Egg Harbor City woman.

Deanna Downs, 29, a mother of two, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head on October 16, 2010.

According to Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain, Rafael Olmo, 30, of Egg Harbor City, and Mario Adams, 31 of Hammonton, were found guilty on various charges in Atlantic County Superior Court.

More from McClain:

A six-month investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office resulted in charges
against three men for Deanna Downs’ death: Dontay Matthews, now 24 years-old, of
Elwood; Mario J. Adams, 31, of Hammonton; and Rafael J. Olmo, 30, of Egg Harbor
City.
The State alleged that Rafael Olmo paid Mario Adams to kill Downs, and had Matthews
watch Downs to contact Adams when she was alone. The State further alleged that
Olmo arranged Downs’ murder because she was a witness to a 2009 shooting for which
Olmo had been indicted. That case is pending court.
Today, before Superior Court Judge Kyran Connor, at the conclusion of a trial that
began on January 27th, a jury brought back guilty verdicts for both men.
Rafael Olmo was found guilty on all seven (7) charges. Four were 1st degree crimes:
murder, conspiracy to commit murder, procurement of murder, and murder for the
purpose of escaping punishment for another offense. Three were 2nd degree crimes:
two (2) counts of witness tampering employing force or threat of force, and one (1)
count of conspiracy to commit witness tampering.
The murder conviction carries a sentence of life imprisonment in State Prison with a minimum of 30 years without parole. The conspiracy to commit murder conviction is punishable with a 10-20 year sentence of imprisonment. Pursuant to the No Early Release Act (NERA), 85% of the sentence must be served before being eligible for parole. The procurement of murder and murder for the purpose of escaping punishment for another offense carry life sentences without parole. The 2nd degree crimes carry potential penalties of 5-10 years imprisonment.
Mario Adams was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder—a 1st degree crime—, two (2) counts of witness tampering employing force or threat of force, and conspiracy to commit witness tampering, all 2nd degree crimes.
The conspiracy to commit murder conviction is punishable with a 10-20 year sentence of imprisonment. Pursuant to the No Early Release Act (NERA), 85% of the sentence must be served before being eligible for parole. The 2nd degree crimes carry potential penalties of 5-10 years imprisonment.
The third defendant, Dontay Matthews, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, a 1st degree crime, on Jan. 30, 2012.
The sentencing of Rafael J. Olmo and Mario J. Adams is scheduled before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Kyran Connor on June 5, 2014.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Maher represented the State in the matter.