Crime & Safety
Bradley Gardens Murderer Will Be Sentenced Tuesday
Gary Wilson, 30, is facing 38 years in state prison.
Four years after one of the most horrific murders in Bridgewater’s recent history, one of the trio charged in connection with the killing will face his day of reckoning on Tuesday morning.
Gary Wilson, 30, of Leghorn Aveue, is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Pursel in Somerville.
But the two other defendants in the murder of 45-year-old Carolyn Stone at a party over the 2009 Memorial Day weekend at a Bradley Gardens home are still waiting for a trial date to be set.
The next court date, a status conference, for David Granskie Jr., 26, of Oak Street, and Rocky DiTaranto, 27, of Maple Street, is scheduled for Oct. 15.
Wilson pleaded guilty to the murder in July 2011. As part of a plea agreement with the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Wilson will be sentenced to 45 years in state prison. Because it is a first-degree crime, Wilson will have to serve 85 percent of the sentence, or 38 years, before becoming eligible for parole.
As part of the agreement, Wilson also agreed to testify against Granskie and DiTaranto.
In pleading guilty, Wilson told the judge that he and friends were attending a Memorial Day weekend barbecue at an Oak Street home, where Stone lived with Granskie's father, and became intoxicated after drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine.
In the middle of the night, Wilson said, DiTaranto led Stone, who was also intoxicated, into the backyard of the home.
Wilson said he went with them. From there, Wilson said, DiTaranto had sex with Stone on the ground, keeping his hands on her neck to keep her down. After DiTaranto had sex with her, Wilson said, he was supposed to have sex with her too, but didn't.
Wilson said he then dropped a cinder block three times on her head to keep her quiet.
Wilson's plea came after a hearing earlier in 2011 to determine if his right against self-incrimination had been violated. During interrogation by police in 2009, Wilson allegedly said, "I just murdered someone."
James Wronko, DiTaranto’s lawyer, has filed a motion, claiming that his client’s right to a speedy trial has been violated.
