Camden woman’s grisly death is detailed in court:

Fatima Perez

I’m kind of disgusted with humanity right now, I mean more so than usual.

41-year-old Fatima Perez of Camden, New Jersey was buried alive and covered in lime in a shallow grave and left to die in Monroe Township, New Jersey. She died from asphyxiation since her eyes and mouth were covered in duct tape. While she may have died in Middlesex County this crime has Camden written all over it. The same Camden, New Jersey that constantly competes with places like Detroit and Gary, Indiana, as one of the most dangerous places in the country. The same Camden that disbanded its police force and replaced it with a county police force except Camden is the only place it patrols, yet the state taxpayers foot the bill.

Ms. Perez was on her way to purchase a car. She had $8,000 in her possession. She was able to get a ride from a man who had done landscaping for her before, one 36-year-old Carlos Alicea-Antonetti of Camden. It seems that instead of trying to earn money like that honestly, he decided he was just going to take it from Ms. Perez and dispose of her, allegedly. Alicea-Antonetti then picked up a co-worker, 57-year-old Ramon Ortiz. Ortiz claims that when he got in the vehicle Ms. Perez was already bound and gagged. So the pair allegedly took her to Monroe Township which is an hour drive away, dug a shallow grave, threw Ms. Perez in it and then covered her with lime, dirt, and leaves, all while she was still bound, gagged and alive. She was reported missing this past Monday and unfortunately, she was not found alive. Alicea-Antonetti was said to have been found with $7,000 of the money when the pair were arrested in Cherry Hill on Wednesday.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. Camden is a lost cause. While this story may be shocking to a lot of people it’s not shocking to me that this started in Camden. An inept government, the fact that less than half the city’s properties are tax paying and the fact that the city is basically being propped up by the state financially should signal the death knell for Camden. This could have happened over $800 or even $80.

No one will ever come into Camden to develop it. It’s been tried and it’s failed miserably. The state would be better off relocating whatever decent folk are left in Camden then razing the city and starting over. Otherwise, it’s never going to get any better, ever.