Protesters Say Gloucester County Prosecutor Mishandled Autumn Pasquale Case at Start
By David Madden
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Friends and relatives of a young murder victim from Clayton, NJ protested today outside the state house in Trenton, demanding the removal of Gloucester County prosecutor Sean Dalton over his handling of the Autumn Pasquale case.
About a dozen people picketed while Autumn's father, Anthony, watched quietly from across the street. He didn't want to talk, but Autumn's uncle, Paul Spadafora, did -- requesting meetings with federal and state officials in an effort to get Dalton out.
"I need 30 minutes with any of these top officials, and I can show them at least 12 mistakes Mr. Dalton's office made in the first 24 hours," Spadafora said today.
Dalton would respectfully beg to differ, and that insists law enforcement officials did everything in their power when Autumn was first reported missing (see related news story).
"Once notified, over 200 officers from 20 different agencies worked around the clock for 63 hours, during which time Autumn's body was recovered and the persons responsible were arrested and taken into custody," he says.
His office is focused on the prosecution now, and Dalton believes this protest only maligns those who worked to solve the crime.
