West Deptford Man Accused of Murder Denied Bail Reduction

A West Deptford man accused of murdering his girlfriend saw his request for bail reduction denied, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday.

A judge denied the request of Rocco Carsillo, 55, to have his $500,000 bail reduced on Friday. Carsillo stands accused of murdering Margaret Ann DePietro, 50, in March.

Carsillo is charged with first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and second-degree certain persons not to have weapons.

A family member and a friend discovered DePietro's body at her home on March 5 after she failed to answer her phone earlier in the day. An autopsy determined she died of multiple stab wounds. Carsillo was arrested two days later.

On Friday, Carsillo's attorney asked for “a much more reasonable amount” of bail, saying some circumstances “suggest a lesser disposition” of the case than murder.

Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Margaret Cipparrone said bail was appropriate for a defendant with no verified address, no employment and facing a first-degree offense. 

Carsillo’s lawyer asked for additional details of the incident to be placed on the record, but Cipparrone said she'd "rather not walk through the gory details” in the presence of DePietro's family, which was in court.

Superior Court Judge Walter L. Marshall Jr., citing the “obviously extremely serious” nature of the charges and Carsillo’s history of three prior felony convictions, including one in 2007 for aggravated assault, left the existing bail in place.

Carsillo and DePietro had a relationship that dated back to 2003. Their relationship was filled with a history of domestic violence, police said. DePietro had a temporary restraining order placed on Carsillo in November. That restraining order was dismissed on Nov. 21, 2013, when neither party appeared in family court in Woodbury.