A 28-year-old New Jersey woman is in custody after killing her wife by shooting her in the face, police say.
Laura Bluestein, of Mount Holly, was arrested without incident August 6 after the body of her wife, Felicia Dormans, 29, was found inside unresponsive inside of their home in the township. She’s since been charged by authorities in her murder.
The couple had been married for just under once year, and each of them posted happy photos of their adventures as a couple.
Here’s what you need to know about Bluestein:
1. Bluestein Allegedly Shot Dormans in the Face
Felicia Dormans, left, and Laura Bluestein, right.
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said August 7 that police responded to a report of a domestic incident at the couples’ home around 5:20 p.m. Police believed there may have been an assault in the home, and the domestic incident was reported to authorities by “an unidentified relative” of Bluesteins.
When police arrived, they found Dormers’ body inside the home, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said that the incident remains under investigation and a motive hasn’t yet been disclosed, though they said August 7 they considered it stemming from a “lover’s quarrel.”
Bluestein is currently being held at the Burlington County Jail, and she had her first court hearing August 7 in Burlington County Superior Court.
2. Bluestein Faces 3 Charges in Relation to Dormans’ Death
Laura Bluestein
On August 7, Bluestein was charged in Dormans’ death. She was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and tampering with evidence.
The prosecutors office said that the tampering with evidence charge is because Bluestein allegedly tried to “conceal the fact that she killed her partner.”
The first degree-murder charge in New Jersey is the most serious type of homicide and carries a potential sentence of 30 years to life. The weapons charge carries a maximum sentence of three years, while the tampering with evidence charge carries a sentence of 18 months imprisonment.
3. Bluestein Had Been Arrested 2 Times Previously in New Jersey for Possessing Drugs
Laura Bluestein, left, and her wife Felicia Dormans, right.
According to New Jersey public court records, Bluestein was arrested on January 17, 2011 and charged with third-degree possession of an unidentified “controlled dangerous substance.”
The charge is a felony, and Bluestein pleaded guilty, paid a fine and had her license suspended. She was back in a custody three years later after she was arrested once again on July 11, 2014 on the same charge. She served a short jail stint and was sentenced to five years probation.
4. Bluestein is From Philadelphia
Felicia Dormans, left, and wife Laura Bluestein.
According to her Facebook page, Bluestein is originally from Philadelphia, but it says she moved to New Jersey sometime after. According to her criminal record, however, she’s originally from Woodbury, New Jersey. Her Facebook also states she studied at Rowan University from 2014 until 2016.
Rowan is a public university based in in Glassboro, New Jersey with a satellite campus in Camden. It was founded in 1923 and is considered a public research university.
5. Bluestein & Dormans Got Married in 2016
Laura Bluestein, left, and her wife Felicia Dormans.
Bluestein and Dormans got married sometime in 2016, their Facebook pages said. From then on, the couple posted many happy photos of them posing together to social media.
Dormans’ Facebook page showed various posts of the couple going on vacations, like to Egg Harbor Township, baseball games and more.
In one post, Dormans posted a meme of the Disney movie Lilo & Stitch that says: “I don’t want a prince on a white horse. I want a weirdo who makes me laugh,” and she tagged Bluestein in it saying “definitely landed a weirdo.”