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You are here: Home / Cold Case News / Conviction in 2006 Juan Cuevas murder

Conviction in 2006 Juan Cuevas murder

May 26, 2019 By Alice

Juan "June" Cuevas courtesy of his family
Juan “June” Cuevas courtesy of his family

In May 2019, John Blocker was convicted in the 2006 Juan Cuevas murder for of felony murder, aggravated manslaughter, robbery, burglary and three counts of kidnapping.

Blocker faced first-degree murder but the jury opted for aggravated manslaughter instead. A fingerprint and DNA tied Blocker to the crime scene. This fingerprint matched Blocker in the national databases.

“A fingerprint lifted from an orange juice container was the original link to Blocker’s arrest. His DNA was found on a cigarette butt on the kitchen floor and on an orange juice bottle in an upstairs bathroom trashcan, prosecutors said.”

Superior Court Judge Kevin T. Smith scheduled sentencing for July 12, 2019. Blocker faces a potential life sentence without parole.

Case

On January 20, 2006, Juan “June” M. Cuevas, owner of G.I. June Auto Parts, was murdered in Washington Township (New Jersey) by four people who invaded his home.

His wife was not home but his three teenagers were. They were held hostage for several hours while the invaders waited for their father to come home. June was tortured and beaten to death. The invaders fled.

In 2015, the papers reported that John Blocker was arrested facing charges of first-degree murder, first-degree felony, four counts of kidnapping, second-degree robbery and second-degree burglary. Authorities are still looking for the accomplices.

Blocker’s defense team protested that the DNA presence didn’t prove that Blocker was in the Cuevas home at the time of the murder. He could have left his DNA there at any given point in time.

Second, they said that Blocker didn’t resemble the men the Cuevas children described to police as they had seen one without his mask. The prosecution pointed to the stress of having been kidnapped, locked inside their own home, and hearing the torture of their father as reasons why the descriptions were not an exact match with Blocker.

Last, there had been a similar home invasion robbery in the Gloucester Township shortly before the Cuevas murder. “Both sets of perpetrators were black, wore black, had guns, used Nextel phones, they tied up the children in both houses and they specifically targeted drug dealers,” the defense said. The “evidence tied the ringleader in the Gloucester Township case to the Washington Township crime. Specifically, phone records placed his cellphone a few miles from the Cuevas home on the night of the killing.”

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Filed Under: Cold Case News Tagged With: DNA, Juan “June” M. Cuevas, New Jersey

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Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

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Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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