NJ woman convicted of girlfriend’s murder after deadly hit-and-run in Millville
⚠️ Breanna Rowley was convicted in the 2024 hit-and-run murder of Caroline Bump.
➡️ Prosecutors said Rowley fled after intentionally killing Bump, and tried to hide the damaged car.
🔴 Rowley faces 30 years to life in prison when she is sentenced in January.
A 24-year-old Vineland woman with a history of domestic violence has been convicted of murder in the hit-and-run killing of her girlfriend, two years ago.
On Friday after a two-week jury trial, Breanna Rowley was found guilty of first-degree homicide and second-degree vehicular homicide in the violent death of 21-year-old Caroline Bump, of Millville.
Rowley was convicted on all charges she faced, which included the following seven counts:
▪️second-degree leaving the scene of an accident causing death of another
▪️third-degree endangering an injured victim
▪️third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
▪️fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon
▪️fourth-degree obstruction, administration of law
▪️third-degree hindering apprehension
▪️fourth-degree tampering with evidence
Bump’s family says conviction brings ‘some comfort’
Bump’s family and other loved ones have been devoted in pursuing justice in the case, as well as awareness of domestic violence, as the convicted killer had a record of physically attacking the victim, including strangulation.
Domestic violence victims who experience prior strangulation by an intimate partner face an estimated 750% higher risk of being killed by their abuser, according to law enforcement and anti-domestic violence advocates.
“While we received what some would consider the best possible outcome for the trial and that is of some comfort, no amount of time served will truly provide justice for taking the life of such a beautiful soul, nor will it bring Caroline back,” the Heger family said Monday in a statement to New Jersey 101.5 News.
“We will forever be the ones left behind to suffer in the silence of her absence, a pain that will never truly heal. It is not lost on us that the conviction came during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we hope that if we continue to speak Caroline's truth and reinforce that love should never hurt, that we may be able to prevent someone else’s child from experiencing the same fate,” the victim’s family also said.
The Heger family thanked the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office for its dedication in seeking a conviction for Caroline’s killer.
Their full statement can be read below.
Prosecutors say Rowley fled after deadly hit-and-run
On Oct. 21, 2024, at 11:15 p.m. in Millville, Rowley sped up in her silver 2003 Infinity G35, hitting Bump and throwing her 50- to 75-feet from the impact in the area of 701 Glenside Road.
The victim’s body was ultimately found about two and a half hours later by a passing vehicle.
After hitting her girlfriend, Rowley never stopped for help, instead driving her car to a Salem County home in Monroeville, and hiding the smashed Infinity in a nearby farm field.
The next day, Rowley contacted a glass repair company to try and get her broken windshield repaired.
Before it could be fixed, investigators discovered the car on Oct. 24, 2024.
Surveillance footage and cell phone records linked Rowley and the victim as being together before the homicide.
Video and cell phone data also was used to track Rowley and her car to the area of Monroeville.
Rowley faces decades in prison when sentenced
Rowley faces a state prison term of 30 years to life when sentenced on Jan. 5, 2027.
The State was represented by Cumberland County Executive Assistant Prosecutor Lesley Snock and Assistant Prosecutor Caitlin Flynn, as the trial was held in Atlantic County Superior Court.
Best friend of victim mourns 'most beautiful soul'
"The world has been robbed of its most beautiful soul, and no sentence will ever atone for what Bre has done. Caroline was a highly motivated young woman; with a promising life ahead of her, a future she will never get to have. She will never see the fruits of her labors in her career, she will miss out on the rest of her life because of the violent atrocity committed by Bre Rowley," Bump's best friend, Jesse Hickman, said in a statement received by New Jersey 101.5 News on Tuesday.
"It will be the honor of the rest of my life to dedicate my every waking moment to my best friend, Caroline Bump, and it is my sincerest hope that Bre may never forget the life that she stole nor the pain that she has caused us all," Hickman added.
Full statement from the Heger family:
“We would first like to thank Assistant Prosecutor Snock and her entire team for fighting so hard for Caroline these last two years. Without their hard work and dedication, we would not have had the resulting conviction.
Our sincerest gratitude is also extended to the jurors who were tasked with witnessing heartbreaking and heinous acts, things that no one should ever have to experience.
Everyone that has supported us throughout the entirety of this process, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we could not have done this without any of you.
While we received what some would consider the best possible outcome for the trial and that is of some comfort, no amount of time served will truly provide justice for taking the life of such a beautiful soul, nor will it bring Caroline back.
We will forever be the ones left behind to suffer in the silence of her absence, a pain that will never truly heal.
It is not lost on us that the conviction came during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we hope that if we continue to speak Caroline's truth and reinforce that love should never hurt, that we may be able to prevent someone else’s child from experiencing the same fate.” — Heger family
Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom
These 31 convicted killers were pardoned by Gov. Murphy
Gallery Credit: Rick Rickman
