FRANKLIN TWP HOMICIDE
Franklin Township Gloucester County NJ Homicide – Press Release from GCPO 11/14/2023
On Friday, November 3, 2023, at approximately 5:23 P.M., officers from the Franklin Township
Police Department were dispatched to a residence on Weymouth Road for an open 9-1-1 call. Upon
arrival, they discovered the female resident, 62 year-old Karen Conner, deceased, having suffered a
single gunshot wound. Present at the scene was Laurence D. Conner, the decedent’s 67 year-old
husband. An exhaustive joint investigation by the GCPO and Franklin Township PD commenced
immediately.
An Autopsy of Karen Conner conducted on November 4, 2023, by Gloucester County Medical
Examiner Dr. Gerald Feign ruled the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of
death as homicide.
On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, a warrant was issued for Laurence D. Conner, charging him
with the following offenses related to the death of his wife:
Homicide: 2C:11-3A(1)
Possession of Weapon for Unlawful Purpose: 2C:39-4A(1)
Wide-ranging efforts to locate and arrest Conner commenced without delay once charges were
filed. On Friday, November 10, 2023, Laurence D. Conner was discovered deceased from a self-inflicted
gunshot in a vehicle at a location in Vineland, New Jersey.
This investigation remains ongoing at this time. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office
encourages any witnesses with information regarding this crime to call Detective Jordan Plitt of the
Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-384-5583 or Detective Allison Schnapp of the Franklin
Township Police Department at 856-694-1415.