Tentative Monday funeral for slain Colonia woman

• Vito Nigro is listed in fair condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick
• Nigro, 42, of the Colonia section of Woodbridge is accused of killing his ex-wife
• Giorgina Nigro, 32, was found dead last Wednesday inside their Devon Road home in Colonia

WOODBRIDGE – Funeral services for a 32-year-old woman killed inside her Devon Road home in the Colonia section last week are tentatively scheduled for Monday, according to her mother.

Angela Cimino said she is hoping to get to view the body of her daughter, Giorgina Cimino Nigro, on Tuesday, nearly a week after she was killed.

With many family members expected to be coming from out of state, Cimino said that she is looking to have the funeral on Monday at the Bongiovi Funeral Home, 416 Bell Ave., Raritan Borough. The funeral arrangements have not been finalized, she said.

Cimino said family members have been asked to wear purple, the color representing the courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending domestic violence. Cimino said her daughter and her ex-husband, Vito Nigro, with whom she lived, had a rocky, allegedly abusive, relationship.

Nigro, 42, of Colonia, who is accused of killing his ex-wife, is improving at the hospital. He is listed in fair condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, according to Peter Haigney, hospital spokesman.

Nigro has been charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in connection with the death of his ex-wife. He is being held on $750,000 bail at the hospital. Because he remains hospitalized, no date has been set for his first court appearance, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Nigro allegedly was injured after jumping onto the Garden State Parkway in an apparent suicide attempt July 22, shortly after his wife was killed, according to sources. He was initially listed in critical condition at the hospital.

Giorgina Cimino Nigro was found dead inside the home around 10 a.m. July 22. She died from blunt-force and sharp-force trauma, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey. The type of weapon used has not been disclosed.

Cimino believes her daughter was killed while she was sleeping.

"We need justice for Giorgina," Cimino said.

Vito and Giorgina Nigro were divorced but living in the same home. Cimino said her daughter stayed with her ex-husband for the sake of their children.

Giorgina Nigro's story has gained support from Women Aware, Moving Beyond Abuse, a domestic violence agency based in New Brunswick.

Cimino was unaware if her daughter had ever contacted the agency."Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Giorgina Nigro. This tragedy will not serve to break our resolve, rather it will strengthen our commitment to keep fighting the good fight," said Phyllis Adams, executive director, on the agency's website.

The divorced couple worked together at the European Hair Designs salon in a shopping center on Oak Tree Road in South Plainfield and have three young children.

Cimino, who lives in California, said the children, ages 10, 6 and 4, are in the custody of their paternal grandmother, but she is trying to gain custody.

"We're heartbroken in so many ways," she said.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com