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Man exonerated in killing of N.J. college student after spending years in prison

Updated: Feb. 23, 2024, 6:47 p.m. | Published: Feb. 23, 2024, 12:33 p.m.

Timothy Puskas, right, with his attorney, Joseph Mazraani, after his release from jail on Wednesday. Joseph Mazraani

By Anthony G. Attrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Timothy Puskas is no longer an inmate at South Woods State Prison.

The 49-year-old, convicted seven years ago in the murder of college student William “Billy” McCaw in New Brunswick, was released following a second trial that ended with an acquittal on Wednesday.

A Middlesex County jury deliberated five hours before returning the not guilty verdict in the six-week trial, which began on Jan. 9, according to Puskas’ attorney, Joseph Mazraani. Puskas’ 2017 murder conviction was reversed by an appellate court in 2021.

“We are pleased that the jury finally saw this case for what it was – something the court even failed to recognize – a devastating example of what happens when cooperators and informants are not closely scrutinized, when prosecutors are not held accountable and when law enforcement fail to investigate properly,” Mazraani said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on the case Friday.

McCaw, 22, was a college student who had transferred from Rutgers to Kean University in Union County. But he maintained ties to the New Brunswick area and had attended a fraternity party hours before he was killed while walking through a yard to a friend’s house.

The student’s bloodied and badly bruised body was found on Feb. 15, 2014, lying in deep snow in the backyard of a home on Hartwell Street.

William “Billy” McCaw File

Prosecutors floated two theories during the trials. The first was that Puskas was tired of his roommates stealing from him and took out his anger on McCaw. The other was that Puskas killed McCaw and robbed him of $40, which he used to buy cocaine.

But in an interview with NJ Advance Media on Friday, Mazraani said neither theory made sense, and that cooperating witnesses blamed Puskas for McCaw’s death in order to obtain lenient sentences for themselves for crimes they had been charged with.

Puskas didn’t own or live on the property where the victim was found. In addition, evidence showed McCaw had cash in his wallet when he was found, Mazraani argued during trial.

“The whole theory of a robbery made no sense,” Mazraani said, adding that the witness who testified to selling Puskas cocaine has a lengthy arrest history.

Another cooperating witness died of a drug overdose before the start of the first trial, but his tape-recorded conversation with Puskas was played in court anyway without the benefit of cross examination, Mazraani said.

Mazraani also said McCaw’s blood-alcohol level and testimony from two witnesses prove that McCaw was killed much later than the early morning time-frame suggested by prosecutors.

After his acquittal about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Puskas was taken in handcuffs and leg shackles to the Middlesex County Jail, where he was released about 8:30 p.m., Mazraani said.

The lawyer said he’s now trying to help Puskas re-enter society. Imprisonment has caused him “to lose everything, he has nothing,” Mazraani said, adding his client is involved with the Returning Citizens Support Group in Newark.

Mazranni noted Puskas had turned down a plea deal with prosecutors before the second trial that would have allowed him to walk free.

“The prosecutor’s office said, ‘Just say that you killed the kid and we’ll let you go. They just wanted him to admit to committing the crime,” Mazraani said.

“They offered him time served. My client said, ‘I didn’t do it. I’m innocent. It doesn’t matter if you’re telling me you’re going to open the jail cell door right now, I’m not going to say I did it just so I can get out of jail,” Mazraani said.

In a statement through Mazraani, Puskas offered his “heart and prayers” to the McCaw family.

“Contrary to what you have been led to believe, I did not assault nor kill your beloved son,” Puskas said.

The former inmate added he wished his mother were still alive “to see me cleared of this injustice.”

The victim’s father, Bob McCaw, said on social media he is thankful to the prosecutors “who worked so hard seeking justice for Billy and our family.”

“The fight is always worth it and love always wins,” Bob McCaw wrote on Facebook. “Also, forever grateful for the support each and every day from friends and family in the courtroom and the prayers of many.”

Apple Vision Pro

I have been watching the videos that Apple has put out for their new Apple Vision Pro. I have to say, it is most interesting. While I think more development is necessary, I do think that at some point in the future I may get one. The two showstoppers for me right now is the price and the short battery life. I think in time, battery life will get better, though knowing Apple, the price won’t go down.

Amendment XXVIII–Congressional Term Limits, My Proposal

Section 1: Term Limits for Members of Congress

No person shall be elected or appointed to the United States Senate for more than two consecutive terms. Upon completing two consecutive terms, a person shall be ineligible for re-election or appointment to the Senate until at least two terms have passed since their last term in office.

No person shall be elected or appointed to the United States House of Representatives for more than six consecutive terms. Upon completing six consecutive terms, a person shall be ineligible for re-election or appointment to the House of Representatives until at least six terms have passed since their last term in office.

Section 2: Cross-Chamber Eligibility

If a person is restricted from seeking re-election or appointment in one chamber (either the Senate or the House of Representatives) due to the term limits outlined in Section 1, they may seek election or appointment to the chamber for which they are not restricted.


Section 3: Applicability to Sitting Members of Congress

This amendment shall apply to all sitting members of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives at the time of its ratification.


Section 4: Adjustments for Term Length

If the number of years for a term in the United States Senate or the United States House of Representatives is adjusted through the amendment process, the term limits outlined in Section 1 shall be adjusted accordingly to maintain consistency with the new term length.


Section 5: Representation for U.S. Territories

Each United States territory, including but not limited to Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territories that may be recognized as such by the United States government, shall be entitled to send one non-voting delegate to the United States Senate and one non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives.

In the event of a tie vote in the United States Senate or the United States House of Representatives, the delegates from United States territories will have their votes counted before any other proceedings or measures are considered.

Section 6: Term Limits for Territorial Delegates

The delegates from United States territories to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives shall be subject to the same term limits as outlined in Section 1 for members of Congress.


Section 7: Ratification

This amendment shall become part of the Constitution of the United States when ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or conventions thereof, as provided in Article V of the Constitution.

This amendment shall have no sunset clause and shall remain in effect indefinitely.

Once ratified by a state, said state may not revoke their ratification.

Remembering April

This week my furry four-footed great dane “niece” crossed the Rainbow Bridge. At some point I will have more to say, but for now, please take a look at this tribute video slideshow that I made.

Me on The Giz Fizz

Back in August, after I was fully recovered from COVID-19, I was the “Chatroom Celebrity of the Week” on the unofficial TWiT show, The Giz Fizz with none other than MAD Magazine and 1970’s The Match Game writer Dick DeBartolo. Below is my “appearance.”

Welcome To My New Site!

You may be thinking that the site looks pretty much the same as it always been.  Recently my web host provider, Surpass, who I have been using since 2005 dramatically increased their prices.  Essentially my web host costs would have gone from around $60/year to over $300.  At the same time, my domain registrar, Yahoo Small Business has been steadily increasing their prices as well.  I decided to simplify things and moved my domain registration and web host provider to TMD Hosting in which I am now paying the equivalent of what I used to pay for domain and web hosting.  Additionally, I don’t have bandwidth or usage restrictions.  Now all I have to do is get back to blogging!  Look for new posts coming soon.

Chat With Adam’s Uncles & More About Wendy

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to chat with Adam’s uncles, Bill and Seth (via two separate conversations) and got to find out more about them as well as Wendy. I never thought in my entire life that I would ever get to talk to someone who is genetically related to me. While it is hard to explain, the fact that I got the opportunity to do that was both a surreal, interesting, nerve-wracking and exciting experience. With both calls I didn’t know what to expect. While planned, I didn’t draw up a list of questions I wanted to ask, I decided to let the conversation flow naturally and see how it transpired. It was interesting to get the perspectives of both of Adam’s uncles on Wendy and their relationship with her. In the case of Bill, being only a few years younger I got the sense that the relationship was more brother-sister, where with Seth, being ten years younger than Wendy (and only ten years older than Adam) was more parent/child. Both conversations sort-of had the same structure. I asked about Wendy, what was her personality, details regarding the circumstances of giving Adam up for adoption and how she passed away. I then told them about my life and family history, though a lot of that is easily gleaned from this blog as well as my Facebook posts. I also discovered that they were curious about me and were very excited to find out what became of the “mysterious” Adam. Like myself, they even discussed it with their friends and family.

    So, what did I find out about Wendy Wood (nee Madway)? I found out that she died from tongue cancer. She never smoked but it can be caused by a bacterial infection, which is what happened with Wendy. I won’t go into the details of what I was told, but from the explanation she sadly had a horrible time of it. I’ve had various mouth issues (impacted bicuspids, baby teeth not falling out, braces, etc.)., while I do take fairly good care of my teeth, I’m going to be extra vigilant. In talking to Bill and Seth, both described Wendy as difficult, argumentative but also caring and having a heart of gold. I know this is more of a nurture over nature thing, but anyone who knows me knows that I can certainly be argumentative and difficult at times, I’ll let others decide the other (good) part. I got a sense that while Wendy was a very private person, and kept Adam a secret, there was a sense of curiosity. I asked both Bill and Seth if given the opportunity, if she would’ve wanted to meet Adam. Both said that she probably wondered whatever became of the child she gave up and most likely would’ve wanted to know and perhaps meet me. According to Seth, he got the sense that she may have even considered trying to find Adam, but that is all speculation. Seth being so much younger never really knew about Adam until after Wendy’s passing, while Bill, being that much closer in age, did know but it was never discussed. I found out that Wendy was dating someone when she became pregnant with Adam and it is inferred based on the conversation I had with Bill, that this “someone” was most likely Adam’s father. During Wendy’s pregnancy, she went to New York City to live with an aunt. My understanding is that her relationship with this aunt, who would be Adam’s great aunt, was a difficult one.

    Education was very important in the Madway family. Pete Madway, Wendy’s father graduated from Harvard (yes, that Harvard) and proceeded to get an MBA from that university as well as a second Master’s Degree, however, Seth was unsure if the second degree was also from there. Pete worked in insurance and finance, which co-incidentally is a hobby of mine, a taste I got from my own grandfather, Frank. Wendy herself, who had a good career working for the New Jersey Division of Taxation as an administrator, never graduated from college, despite her father’s strong encouragement. Unlike Wendy, both Bill & Seth graduated from college, University of Wisconsin and University of Pennsylvania respectively, sorry guys, I’m a Hoosiers fan, go

I always known I was born Jewish. When my parents were going through the adoption process, one of the things that Mrs. Wentworth, the social worker who handled the adoption asked is if my parents were observant. My mom interpreted this as that my biological family were Orthodox. I found out this wasn’t the case. Bill & Edie were Conservative-Reform and that Seth’s family keeps kosher and goes to I think, a reform synagogue in Rochester, NY. While Seth himself has not been to Israel, both of his daughters have been. I myself grew up in a religiously, a right-of center Jewish household who kept kosher both at home and out (never ate non-kosher foods/meat/fish). I went to a “Conservodox” synagogue (Conservative synagogue with an Orthodox rabbi) that was not egalitarian. I have since rebelled of sorts since then and no longer keep kosher, though I won’t eat shellfish and avoid pork but cheeseburgers are yummy.

At some time in the future I certainly hope to meet both Bill & Seth and while Seth does travel a lot and lives approximately 329 miles (529 km) away in Rochester, Bill lives a mere 61 miles (98 km) away. Ironically, Wendy’s town of work, Trenton is the halfway point.

Adam Madway’s Family

While Adam and I are biologically the same person, I do not identify as myself as Adam, so going forward Adam will be referenced in the 3rd person whereas any first person references will be related to Michael.  Below are a couple of photos generously provided to me by Bill Madway, Adam’s uncle via Facebook.  In the first photo below from the 1960’s are, going from left to right, Adam’s grandparents Edith (died August 3, 2007) and Pete (October 29, 1926- July 7, 2000), Seth is in the front, Bill behind him and Wendy (1951-2010) to the right.  While I will have to see if my parents still have physical photos of me as a child (some of my grade school years is posted on Facebook), there is a very strong resemblance when looking at Wendy as well as Seth.  The photo was taken in Levittown, PA in front of their home.  The 2nd photo is from about twenty years ago (so late 90’s one would presume).  It shows from front to back and left to right Adam’s cousins Arial and Tori (sorry, unsure which is which), their mother Wendy (Seth’s wife, Adam’s aunt), Adam’s cousin David (Bill’s son), Seth (Adam’s uncle), Edith and Pete who are Adam’s grandparents (shoot that explains the receding hairline that I have), Bill, Adam’s other uncle, Wendy who is Adam’s mother and Megan (Bill’s wife and Adam’s aunt).  Below that, I may have found an even older photo of Adam’s grandfather.  Also included is a brief video of Adam’s aunt and uncle talking about their best Jewish moments. If all goes as planned, I will have a phone conversation this Saturday, so stay tuned for more on this ever unfolding story.