Story by Ethan
On July 22nd, 2024, charges against Joan Franklin Polanco, age 37, were announced by Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department. Joan Franklin Polanco was charged with first-degree Murder and third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Edison Police Department received a 911 call reporting a stabbing on Horizon Drive. Responding officers found 37-year old Lizbeth Benitez-Rivera, deceased at the scene with several stab wounds. This incident prompted an investigation launched by Detective Clint Hetzell of the Edison Police Department, and Detective Javier Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation revealed that Lizbeth Benitez-Rivera’s son was sleeping in his room while allegedly Joan Franklin Polanco snuck into the residence and stabbed Lizbeth Benitez-Rivera. Hours later the son woke up and found Lizbeth Benitez-Rivera passed away from the multiple stab wounds. Later on July 21st, 2024, Joan Franklin Polanco was located and apprehended by New York City Police.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Joan Franklin Polanco are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
