A violent career criminal who allegedly murdered his twin sister in New Jersey last week was cut loose on bail earlier this year after shooting a bystander in the back during a running gun battle in Manhattan.
Jonathan D. Hagley, 26, is locked in the Bergen County Jail’s psychiatric ward after cops say he fatally shot twin Naomi Hagley in his family home on Hickory Street in Teaneck on Thursday, according to jail records and the county prosecutor’s office.
It’s not clear what sparked the killing. But when cops arrived at the quiet suburban home minutes from Manhattan, they found the mortally wounded Naomi with three gunshot wounds — and the twins’ father saying they came from Hagley’s handgun.
Cops picked up the suspected triggerman a few blocks away — and found his pistol, a Glock 30S with its serial number scratched out, in the same area.
But it wasn’t the first time Hagley — who now faces murder, weapons and obstruction charges for the killing — has been in hot water with the law.
About eight months ago, Hagley allegedly shot a man in the back as he chased two other men during a gunfight in Harlem, according to the Bergen Record.
The Jan. 15 encounter started near Hagley’s apartment complex on West 136th Street when the unidentified pair walked up and shot him twice before fleeing, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mary Rogowski said during Hagley’s hearing eight days later.
During the caught-on-camera clash, Hagley allegedly chased the men around the block, then squeezed off three rounds in the middle of a busy intersection in broad daylight, the Record said.
One of those bullets struck a 37-year-old bystander in the spine as he milled about near the median.
Authorities found three shell casings at the scene, Rogowski said. A gun and an extended magazine were picked up on 7th Avenue, where Hagley threaded his way between cars before sauntering into a deli.
The shooter — who was on parole at the time from prior convictions in the Garden State — was also clipped in the butt by one of his enemy’s bullets and needed medical help himself, the Record said.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree attempted murder, assault and other offenses at his Manhattan Supreme Court hearing on Jan. 23.
A judge ordered him held on $100,000 cash bail or $300,000 bond. But Hagley somehow posted the money and was released, the Record said.
Eight months later, his twin sister allegedly became his next victim.
Hagley — who is supposed to appear in Manhattan court Sept. 9 — was also supposed to go before a Bergen County judge on Friday.
But he was medically sedated, so his attorney, David Blum, waived the hearing.
New Jersey prosecutors are looking to hold Hagley until the end of his trial, the Record said. He is scheduled for another appearance next week.
The trigger-happy Hagley has a long history of getting into trouble.
He was sentenced to seven years in state prison back in March 2018 after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, burglary and weapons charges for trying to clean out an apartment in Garfield, New Jersey, in 2016, the Record said.
While he was sitting in Bergen County Jail awaiting trial, Hagley allegedly slashed another inmate’s face with a blade — which led to the assault charges.
The lengthy sentence was part of a global plea deal that wrapped both offenses into one, the Record said.
Hagley fought his convictions but lost every appeal.
As a result, he stayed behind bars until November 2022, when he was released from Bayside State Prison.
