Long Branch Man Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy to Disturb or Desecrate Human Remains

A Long Branch man plead guilty in Monmouth County Superior Court on Wednesday for his part in a murder-for-hire plot that took place in Long Branch last summer.

Anthony Morris, 31, plead guilty to conspiracy to disturb or desecrate human remain, a second degree crime, before Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci according to Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni. Morris admitted that although he took $3,000 from Thomas Dorsett to burn the body of Dorsett's former son-in-law Stephen Moore, he never followed through with it.

Moore, who is the ex husband of Dorsett's daughter, Kathleen Dorsett, was found dead in the trunk of his mother's burned 2001 Nissan Altima off of Seaview Avenue in Long Branch on Aug. 18, 2010.

Dorsett, 64, of Ocean Township, was charged in connection with Moore's murder on Aug. 24, 2010.  The next day, he was charged with burning the car that contained his former son-in-law's body, and is currently being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in lieu of $3 million cash only bail.

The same day, Morris was charged with burning the car that contained Moore's body. 

Gramiccioni said Morris will be sentenced on Dec. 16, 2011, and that his plea bargain call for him to serve no more than seven years in prison.

Gramiccioni said that Mellaci told Morris that he will be required to testify against the Dorsetts in the case.

Morris, Thomas, Kathleen and Lesley Dorsett (Thomas' wife) were all indicted on Jan. 31 for their roles in the crime.

An investigation also revealed that both women made arrangements to hire a man to kill Moore's  mother Evlyn Moore, who was intended victim of the murder-for hire plot.

In addition to the murder-for-hire plot, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office also uncovered a money laundering scheme at various banks in Monmouth County.

Lesley Dorsett  was arrested on Jan. 1o and charged with one count of first degree conspiracy to commit murder and one count of first degree attempted murder.

Kathleen Dorsett, was arrested Jan. 11 and charged with the same crimes according to Acting Prosecutor Peter E. Warshaw Jr.

Kathleen Dorsett was charged in connection with her role in her husband's murder on Aug. 23, 2010, and is currently being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in lieu of $1,500,000 cash only bail.

In addition to the murder-for-hire plot, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office also uncovered a money laundering scheme at various banks in Monmouth County.

Kathleen, Thomas and Lesley Dorsett were arrested and charged with one count of third degree conspiracy to commit financial facilitation of criminal activity, commonly referred to as money laundering, and one count of third degree "money laundering" on Nov. 17, 2010.

According to the prosecutor's office, the charges allege that "the three Dorsett's structured financial transactions at five banks in Monmouth County for the purpose of evading state and/or federal  currency transaction reporting requirements."

The amount of money deposited into the five banks leading up to Moore's death is over $96,00 according to a release from the prosecutor's office.

Bail was set at $50,000 for each of the Dorsetts for the money laundering charges.

The case is currently assigned to Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutors Marc C. LeMieux and Jennifer Lipp of the Major Crimes Bureau.