Leonardo Novoa Mug Shot
Leonardo Novoa, 35, of Central Avenue, was charged with murder.
“Mr. Novoa was acquainted with the victim,” said Hudson County Prosecutor Ed DeFazio. “A heated argument resulted in Mr. Simmons being manually strangled. Asphyxiation was the cause of death.”
Jersey City police responded to the residence around 3 a.m. on May 17 after neighbors complained of noise.
“Police found Mr. Simmons dead in the residence,” DeFazio continued, adding that “there was indication of drug use.”
Novoa made his first appearance in Hudson County Superior Court on May 19. Judge Kevin Callahan set bail at $750,000 cash, no 10 percent option. Novoa was taken to Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny.
He had previously spent 19 months in prison over the last two years for burglary, according to New Jersey State Police records.
Simmons’ family did not return calls. Novoa’s family could not be reached for comment.
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