Man Arrested, Pleads Guilty in Decades-Old Murder Case Years After Wife's Disappearance

Robert William McCaffrey Jr., 54, was arrested and pleaded guilty as a suspect in a 1990 murder case. He was extradited to a New Jersey court after being arrested in North Carolina on April 20, 2026.

He admitted in court to murdering Lisa Marie McBride in Vernon Township, New Jersey, around June 23, 1990. Prosecutors charged McCaffrey Jr. with murder, robbery, and kidnapping, alleging he caused McBride's death or serious bodily injury. McBride was last seen on June 23, 1990, shortly after returning home. Her family later discovered her missing along with signs of a violent struggle, including a cut telephone line, a damaged window screen, and missing bedsheets.

He was a person of interest in his wife's disappearance years ago. McCaffrey Jr. was arrested in a separate case for which he was convicted of obstruction of justice in connection with his wife's 2012 disappearance. His attorneys claimed he was not guilty.