Teen Streamer’s Shocking Twist in Girls’ Murders

I wish my sincerest condolences to those two girls lost in that tragic accident, okay? We wave formal greetings and ask the court to enter and not kill someone. The New Jersey teenager accused of mowing down two of his classmates with an SUV is back in court and we have a big update. Not only did he allegedly commit a chilling and cold-blooded crime, prosecutors say he went on a video game live stream to talk about it after. What possibly could be? This episode is brought to you by TXU Energy. If you're looking for a better way to save on electricity, both night and day, look no further than TXU Energy Free Nights and Cool Summer. It gives you free energy all night, every night, all year long, plus a 25% bonus toward your daytime use every summer. It's the only plan that lets you use free energy to get more savings. So while nights are always free, summer days are now always discounted. With savings like that, you'll never look at a free night's plan the same way again. Learn more at TXU.com, rep number 10004. Vincent Battle-Lauro's defense strategy. His attorneys just reportedly unveiled it in court and the big question is, will it actually work? We're on the case presented by Law & Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. It's been a little over a year. Since Maria Neotis and her best friend, Isabella Salas, tragically lost their lives. They were just 17 years old. Police say they were hit by a speeding SUV as they rode on an e-bike in Cranford, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. But prosecutors say this was not a tragic auto accident. They allege this was an intentional plan carried out by the driver, 17-year-old Vincent Battle-Lauro, the son of a retired police officer, and the nephew of a local police chief. Battle-Lauro initially told police it wasn't him behind the wheel. He was carjacked. But prosecutors say they have evidence that proves that was a lie, including neighborhood surveillance cameras and even dash cam footage from the SUV itself. Authorities also say that Battle-Lauro stalked one of the victims, Maria Neotis. Her family members claim that he harassed her for months. They say the motive for murder. was revenge. Battle-Lauro was upset that Maria allegedly reported him to police and that got him suspended from school. And they say that is why he did what he is accused of. Now, not only is Battle-Lauro allegedly the person who killed two girls as he went 75 miles per hour on a residential street, he allegedly didn't hide after. He went on YouTube where he live streams himself playing a baseball video game and he went on as if nothing had happened. He did address, though, what he said was a tragedy in the community as people on the live stream accused him of taking the lives of these two girls. But I will say this. I wish my sincerest condolences to those two girls lost in that tragic accident. Okay? It is an absolute unfortunate situation and there's more to it than I can say. There's more to the story that you're not getting. But when the time comes, I will explain it in greater detail. I want to bring in Court TV's Vinny Palatin here in just a moment. We'll talk about what the defense could look like for Vincent Battle-Lauro. He was arrested the day of the collision, but he was released into his dad's care. Then two days later, he was re-arrested in the case, which was originally in juvenile court. Then you fast forward to July of this year. Battle-Lauro appeared virtually for a hearing after a court hearing. He was charged in adult court. Two counts of first-degree murder. Then this, a grand jury indictment, October 14th, 2026, solidifying those first-degree murder charges signed by the foreperson. And that brings us to this week, where the now 18-year-old Vincent Battle-Lauro made his first in-person court appearance in the Union County Courthouse for his arraignment. And as you heard at the beginning of this episode, his attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. But that was not the case. That wasn't the only key detail in the case that we learned from this court appearance. Okay, concerning the state's offer in this case, the plea offer generally goes on the arraignment form. The arraignment form indicates no offer. Can you please expand upon that, Ms. Reyes? Yes, Judge. At this point in time, the state is not giving an offer to defense. Obviously, we cannot stop them from pleading to the open, but there is no offer from the state. Okay, and a plea to an open indictment, would we then leave the sentencing up to the sentence? Judge, as to each charge in the indictment? That's correct, Judge. Okay. So, essentially, the state is not offering Battle-Lauro any sort of plea deal, at least at this point. Battle-Lauro could plead guilty at any time, and in that case, the judge would determine his sentence. Now, I will add that the state could offer a plea deal down the line, but at this point, it does not appear that is on the table. Now, we also learned at this hearing that the defense requested a transcript of the grand jury proceedings, which led to Battle-Lauro's indictment on those two first-degree murders, Grand jury proceedings typically contain witness testimony, which could include law enforcement, first responders, eyewitnesses, family members, experts, and other relevant people to this case. Potentially, that could shed light on where the state is going with its case in chief. Now, another motion expected to be filed by the defense is a change of venue request. Given your honor's comments, I would be more than happy to file that promptly. The nature of the motion includes ongoing things that are happening, so I'm not sure it would make judicial economy sense for us to file that first, because there's a lot of things that could happen between now and trial that could impact the court's determination on that motion. In fact, there have been things that have happened both in the public eye as well as in the media since the outset of this case that already give rise to the basis for the motion, but that could be compounded as things go. I mean, my point, Mr. Senn, is as you can understand, the court doesn't want to start handling other motions because it would make sense if you were making a motion to change venue, and if that motion is successful, and I have no idea if it will be, then those motions should be handled in a different venue. So that's why I bring that to your attention. So the defense is arguing, that the publicity in this case could call for a change of trial venue. And remember, there has been a lot of public outcry from both the victims' families over the past year, especially on how law enforcement handled the case. But the judge argued, there's essentially no point in handling other motions if the case is moved to a different county. So the judge is giving the defense until December 14th to file a notice of the motion when the case is scheduled to have a status conference. But the defense is arguing, that this may have been the biggest moment of this hearing. Yes, the court has received, it's filed on e-courts, the notice of defenses that you have put forward of diminished capacity and insanity. This right here gives us the biggest insight into what the defense could look like for Vincent Bataloro. Diminished capacity and insanity. And in a lot of ways, it makes sense. Remember, the day after that fatal collision, Bataloro goes on a YouTube live stream where he would typically say, he would typically record himself playing video games. And he was initially bombarded with comments from viewers calling him a killer. He eventually had to turn off the comments, but he continued to live stream the game. He even addressed the situation directly, it appears. In a neighboring town, unfortunately, two girls were killed in a hit and run, in a hit and run crash. Now, there has been. It gives you free energy all night, every night, all year long. Plus a 25% bonus toward your daytime use every summer. With savings like that, you'll never look at a free nights plan the same way again. Learn more at TXU.com. Rep number 10004. A lot of misinformation going on over the internet. But I will say this. Okay? It is an absolute unfortunate situation. And there's more to the story than that. You're not getting. And regardless of what happens, if you don't see me streaming for a little bit, you'll understand why. But this will be. This will be in the hands of Jesus. Everything will be okay. I will get this sorted out. Now, as cryptic as these statements already appear. Badaloro then mentions his own alleged misfortunes, he says, among his peers. I really think there needs to be more done to address mental health in this state. Because, you know, I don't even know how to explain this, dude. I've been bullied, ridiculed, and stuff over false allegations, okay? Over this whole thing about things that have happened in the past. There's more to this story. It'll come out in the future. I'm a nice kid. I'm 17 years old with a good family by my side. And these allegations that have been ruining everything is a shame. But, again, I'm going to leave it at that. I really think you all should be a lot nicer to each other. If anything happens, I'm going to give you all some advice, alright? If you get bullied and ridiculed in school about, you know, stuff that people hate you, I would tell your counselor immediately. And, you know, before this gets out of hand, you've got to address all these things, because I'll tell you what, the amount of bullying that I've been put through in the past has been absolutely absurd. Then you have a series of 911 calls from Bataloro's parents in August 2025, the month before the murders took place, all surrounding Bataloro's alleged behavioral issues. Please? Yes, how are you? My name is Jeff Bataloro. I reside at. Mm-hmm. Lieutenant, who's the sergeant that's working today? Lieutenant Parada. I don't have a sergeant here. Lieutenant Parada, that's okay. Can I just ask for him to come over? No call. I want to just speak to him and go over a couple juvenile issues that are going on with my son right now, and just get some advice. Okay, let me see if he's free. In the event that he's not, can I send a patrol officer? I would prefer Lieutenant Parada. Like I said, this is not a. I would just like to speak and get some advice. Okay. And go from there. All right. I'll, uh, let me go see if he's available. Give me one second. Thank you. 911, where is your emergency? Okay. Um, a juvenile issue. Okay. What exactly is going on, sir? Um, he sprayed me in the face with mace. He took my car. Car Police 67. Welcome to the driver's. Hello. Hello. Good a-good afternoon. Um, my-my name is Judy Batiloro, and, um, my son lives right there by Garwood, um, and he's in the custody of my-my ex-husband. I have been having trouble at home, and now I was trying to call my son, and he doesn't answer the phone. It looks like he-his father disconnects his-his phone. I'm just concerned about his safety, you know, about my son's safety. Okay. What's going on there? You guys have been here before. The same thing. Um, I would highly recommend -- Okay. All right. What happened tonight, sir, that you're calling 911? He's getting physical. Okay. Are you separated now from -- Now, those are just some of the pieces of the possible defense puzzle. So I'll have to wait and see what other details come out as this case progresses. But you might be wondering, what did the victim's families make of this? It was reported that both victims' moms were in the gallery for this hearing. They were crying, which is certainly understandable, and they were wearing T-shirts that said, "Justice for Bella and Maria." News 12 New Jersey reports that attorneys for the victims' relatives spoke outside the courthouse following the hearing, demanding an immediate investigation by the court. They also demanded an investigation by the State Attorney General's Office to determine if the Cranford Police Department failed the families involved throughout the stalking allegations and the deadly crash. Now, as for the defense strategy, the attorney for Isabella Salas's family said the following, quote, "I don't think that surprises anyone. That's their strategy. That's their tactic. We prepared the families for that. It doesn't take away the grief." NJ.com reports that Isabella Salas's mom, Mary, was in the gallery. She also spoke out following the hearing. She said, quote, "The world lost two rays of sunshine that day. Nothing will bring our girls back. We will not let their story end in silence. Justice means the whole truth. It means everyone who failed Isabella and Maria is held accountable. We will keep their memories alive. We will fight like hell until they get the justice they deserve." Now, as I mentioned before, the next hearing in this case is a status conference December 14th, so we are going to keep a close eye on things as they continue to unfold. All right, so let's talk about this with Vinnie Palitan, host of Vinnie Palitan Investigates over on the Court TV YouTube channel and a proud native of New Jersey, so you know the area really well where all of this is playing out, and you practice law in New Jersey, too, so a good person to talk to. What do you make of the defense's approach for an insanity defense in this case, diminished capacity? What would that look like? Well, I think that's the only place they can go, first of all. They're cornered. They're cornered. The evidence is overwhelming. There is no, "Somebody else did it." There is no, "This was an accident." So you've got to go where there's the only opportunity, the only chance. Now, I will say this. There was a discussion, if you listen to some of his live streams, he talks about mental health and mental illness, so there may be some prior, prior evidence of mental problems that he was having. Now, the thing is, you know, for me, as a former prosecutor, most criminals, there's something wrong with them, especially who commit crimes like this. Like, they're not like the rest of us, and the law recognizes that, but the law also recognizes that mental illness does not equal legal insanity. There are two different things. Mental illness is a medical determination, right? What's going on? You're suffering. There's something wrong with you. Legal insanity is a serious crime. It's a standard. It's a legal standard as to your mens rea at the time that you commit the offense. So while he may be mentally ill and there may be some mental health history, I think the legal insanity in this case is going to be an extreme challenge because of the circumstances. If you're looking for a better way to save on electricity, both night and day, look no further than TXU Energy. Free nights and cool summer. It gives you free energy all night, every night. All year long. So all nights are always free. Summer days are now always discounted. Rep number 1-0-0-0-4. Circumstances surrounding it. Well, because I think where, like, absolutely, like, I mean, you know, to do the, like, to your point, I mean, how many cases do we see someone who, like, there's obviously something that's not right. With this individual. And what he's accused of is, you know, it's terrible. Because I also think of, you know, the weapon, allegedly in this case, is a Jeep Compass. You know, it's not a gun. It's not a knife. You know, and those certainly, there's always evidence tied to those in the cases that we cover. But in this case, you have a vehicle where they know exactly where it was. There was dash cam on it. So they know who's driving the vehicle. It does a U-turn. He accelerates to 75 miles per hour, prosecutors say. I mean, there's so much information. There's so much information there about the act itself. It does limit what you can say other than this was someone who wasn't in the right state of mind. But for me, it's like, and, you know, we've covered Clancy so much. And I think people have far more of an understanding of what an insanity defense might look like. Like, in this case, he still knew how to drive the car. He knew exactly where they were. There's this, you know, the live streams will tell you a story that he was someone who was allegedly stalking Maria Neotis. And so there's a lot there to show that he was aware of what he was doing in that moment and who he was after based on what we know. Yeah. And take a look at the conduct afterwards, right? Yeah. Lies to police about what happened. Oh, I got carjacked. Somebody took my Jeep, number one. Number two, flees the scene. That's consciousness of guilt. You know, you talk about legal insanity. Do you appreciate the wrongfulness of your conduct? Well, if you just engage in the conduct, and your reaction is to leave the scene, flight, and your reaction is to lie about your involvement in what happened, it demonstrates clearly, you know, and this, again, is from a prosecutor's perspective, you clearly understand that what you did was wrong. You tried to get away with it. You tried to cover it up. You left the scene because you knew you engaged in conduct that would get you in trouble because you knew it was wrong. So that is, is a huge problem. And, and that's something that prosecutors will, will cling to and argue to this jury. The other part of this, that I'm surprised with the defense is another place they could potentially go is that what his actual intentions were. My intentions, and this you have to admit some level of guilt, which is I went there to scare her. I was going to zoom by them and sort of scare them, and then I lost control of the vehicle, right? So I didn't intend to actually strike them. I just intended to scare them. The problem is your intention was to do some level of harm, and I don't think that gets you away from a conviction in this case. So it's one of those situations, unlike Lindsey Clancy, where the mental illness is what we often see, which is the defense of last. It's the last chance you have. It's the only chance you have because the evidence is overwhelming. There is no doubt about what happened and who is responsible. So then the issue focuses in on the one thing that we can't necessarily see, which is what's going on between his ears. But unfortunately for him, we kind of get some insight through the live streaming. We actually get some insight into what he's thinking because he's speaking and talking, and that's not going to be helpful for him. So the live stream that he does, and I remember when this story first happened, and then there were these rumblings of he's going to be the one accused of this, and he went on live stream. He plays the Major League Baseball video game and live streams him playing it. And when we found the videos, it was like, I can't believe this is the same person. And you get to the point where he actually addresses what happened in the town. Now, when you listen to that, and if you were just taking on the services, he doesn't admit to anything after the fact. He just said, I offer my condolences. But when you look at it with all the other pieces of evidence, that he was the one that was driving the car, how does that video, if you're a prosecutor, how does that factor into the case that you would make to a jury if this case actually gets that far? He doesn't look insane in that video, does he? No. He doesn't look like he is detached from reality. He knows everything that is going on. And at that point, he knows what he did, and yet he's able to act the way he's supposed to. And he's able to get back to the consciousness of guilt, his state of mind. And anything that shows the jury his state of mind as close to the alleged crime as possible is compelling for the jury. Because yes, you're going to have the experts who are going to come in. You'll have a battle of the experts. The defense will find one that'll find some way to make a case for him not having criminal responsibility here. And then prosecutors will have, you know, someone's saying the exact opposite. So if you can kind of put together your expert as a prosecutor along with, well, take a look at him, folks. This is what he's saying. This is how he's acting after he did it. Because once you get into the world of the insanity defense, you are saying, yes, he committed the actual act, right? It's not somebody else did it. It's not, oh, jury can understand that. Yes, he did it. And this is how he's acting in the hours and days afterwards. And it's not a good look for him. It does not appear to be someone who is unhinged, delusional, detached from reality, unable to understand the difference from right from wrong. And by giving condolences, he absolutely knows that something wrong happened. And he also, I believe, makes a reference to, you know, all the information coming out, right? There's more that's going to come out about this. There's going to be more information coming out about this. And he's clearly a troubled teenager. I mean, that's clear. And he's having problems at home as well. But that by itself is not enough for an insanity defense. It goes beyond that. It's not merely mental illness. Because if just mental illness was a defense, the jails would be half empty. And you would have institutions that would be overflowing, right? Because you'd have all these people found not guilty by reason of insanity, who'd have to be in a secured facility for a certain amount of time, and then eventually released back to society. So that's not the way our system works. But the defense will attempt it because every defendant gets a defense. You know, that's the obligation of his team, of his attorneys. And trust me, they will find an expert. They will find an expert who will say that for some reason, he should not be held criminally responsible because of whatever's going on. And that's the way our system works. I mean, it seems like in always these cases, I think for the defense, it's an uphill battle to say the least. But, you know, in this case, it doesn't seem that prosecutors are offering a deal. You know, it's not like, hey, we can settle this thing now. We'll put you in prison. I mean, this was, you know, based off the information that's been alleged. I mean, this was cold blooded, which is such a cliche term to use. But absolutely, you know, you can use it to describe what he's accused of doing. Like as for the defense, I mean, like, even if you're looking at this, you're like, you can find this episode is brought to you by TX. You energy. If you're looking for a better way to save on electricity, both night and day, look no further than TX. You energy, free nights and cool summer. Rep number 10004. I'm the expert. You know, it's going to be an uphill battle. I'm the expert. I'm the expert. I'm the expert. I'm the uphill battle the prosecution says we're ready to go to trial like we're not going to offer your client a deal so he could get out you know at some point in time this is a double murder case i mean what really what options do you have as the defense you know if you know going here's what here's what the defense would love yeah here i think this is what you talk about a deal this is the deal the defense would take which would be guilty of first degree murder in new jersey okay guilty first degree murder which is what he's charged with yeah however the sentences for the two victims go concurrently rather than consecutively because in new jersey the life without the possibility of parole is a difficult standard usually it's got to be a police officer it's got to be a victim that's under the age of 14 here you're talking about straight up first degree murder which is a parole eligibility disability disqualifier of 30 years okay let's not forget how old he is he was only 17 when the time this happened he's 18 years old now so a 30-year sentence for him gives him some life and freedom on the back end of his life so that's a deal that the defense could take but why would prosecutors want to offer that if you offer that as a prosecutor you are basically giving him one free murder right that's what you're doing if you do if the sentences are concurrent at the same time then he's not being punished for one of the two murders and that's not going to sit well with the families and that shouldn't sit well with the prosecutor right so prosecutors want him sentenced consecutively which means he would not be eligible for for parole until 60 years down the road 30 for each count consecutively one after the other serve 30 serve 30 and then he's going to be sentenced to 40 years and then he's going to be sentenced to 40 years and then he's going to be eligible for parole not guaranteed and now you are in your late 70s much different scenario than getting out when you're 48 years old so that's interesting so even so say this goes to trial it seems like it's headed in that direction at least for now uh it really at the end of the day if we're not questioning whether or not you know i think the insanity defense at this point seems like it'd be pretty tough let's just say he's found guilty of these murders it really comes down to the judge making a decision whether or not you know like in and so for a judge because i also think like when this happened he was 17 but he was close to being 18 years old like his birthday was not that far away it might have been a couple months even um at that point like ultimately this comes down to a judge deciding how harsh it has to be but there's also still even though someone's eligible for parole it doesn't mean that they're going to get parole um but at the same time i mean there's still even after all of this the possibility that he could one day if found guilty and all of this is true that's been alleged that he could still even have some time of his life outside of prison yeah and to me the the battle is the trial and then if he's found guilty of both counts against both young women then the next battle is drawn and this is where the defense will even if they don't win at the trial level they're going to appeal it and appeal it and appeal it um but basically the law in new jersey for years has been driven by a case called yarborough which says there are no free crimes there should be no free crimes there's no entitlement to no free crimes but a judge in his or her discretion can do it so i don't know this judge that well the one thing uh the viewers should know about new jersey is that judges in new jersey are not elected like a lot of jurisdictions you know right vote for a judge new jersey you don't vote for a judge they're appointed by uh the governor and then after a certain number of years they're vested and they're they're in they're in until they don't want to be in anymore so there's no outside pressure on the judge like i've got to run for a reelection i can't give away free crimes so i don't know this judge and that's why many times in new jersey uh defendants have a much better opportunity in front of judges because judges don't feel that direct pressure from the public that they'll have to face if they find someone not guilty or are lenient in a sentence for someone who's been found guilty by a jury. So the battle is all the way through this case. It doesn't end with the verdict. And, you know, I also think of where this case is taking place. Vincent Bataloro has family ties to law enforcement in the area. That's been reported. His father is a retired police officer. This case is getting a lot of attention. I mean, you even just saw yesterday, he makes this court appearance and, you know, every major media outlet in the city is covering this because where this took place is in the New York media market. They want to change a venue, the defense. This is not the first high profile case that has happened in Northern Jersey or in the New York area, obviously. What is the bar to actually have this case moved away? If you're going to argue that while everybody has seen this kid and certainly has has convicted him in the court of public opinion? Yeah, well, the interesting thing about New Jersey in terms of the media is that you could and sometimes they do. You could potentially move the case to a completely different media market. Right. So he's in the New York market. Yeah. And then the other part of New Jersey, South Jersey, is controlled by the Philadelphia media market. So generally speaking, they're not covering the case to the same extent. There. So that that's very possible. They could move it down the shore. They can move it to South Jersey. You'll find counties with similar demographics down there as well. And it's a different media market. So they could be successful. But I think first, you've got to you've got to see if you can try the case. This isn't the highest profile case to ever come out of New Jersey. Like give me a break. We've had some big I say weeks. I consider myself, you know, New Jersey born and bred. We've had bigger cases. In the jurisdictions where the crimes have occurred, my guess is they will attempt to find a jury there. And then if they can't, then they'll move it. But first, you got to try. And I think you absolutely can. This is a big case. And it's a big case, especially for the local community. It really struck a nerve because a lot of people felt like this young man was getting some level of protection, some level of preferential treatment because of the law enforcement ties. And it has really raised some issues. Now, there's been no necessarily any evidence that has been proven anywhere. No one's been disciplined as a result of any of this. But it's still part of the case and part of the story. So we'll see how that develops. But at this point, I think you can probably try it in that in that jurisdiction. You'll be able to find 12 and some alternates who can be fair and impartial, who have not been, you know, tainted by watching law and crime or eyewitness news in New York. Yeah. And, you know, he was the one who put the live streams up on the Internet for everybody to see no matter what media market you're in. And I know for the family, just from comments we've seen, you know, they had called police in the past about him because they felt like he was allegedly stalking Maria. And then, of course, this all leads up to just if I could jump in on that issue. That's an interesting issue on the stalking. Because of his age, there were there were limited. Temptations on legally what you could do with him as a young alleged stalker and the family. You can understand their frustration and they may have. If you're looking for a better way to save on electricity both night and day, look no further than TXU Energy free nights and cool summer. It gives you free energy all night, every night, all year long, plus a 25 percent bonus toward your daytime use every summer. Summer days are now always discounted with savings like that. You'll never look at a free night's plan the same way again. Learn more at TXU dot com rep number one zero zero zero four. Conflated the way he was treated with that. He's getting preferential treatment because of his connections to law enforcement versus the actual law in New Jersey, which, you know, is it's difficult to when someone is not a family member, it's not something you're supposed to be in the same household and the age of the alleged stalker. There's very little that law enforcement can do. There are some things that they can do, but it's it's it's kind of like a a really dangerous blind spot in the New Jersey law. So hopefully this case will will have legislators thinking twice and coming up with a way to protect young women like the two victims in this case. Yeah, just just an awful story. Terrible loss of life. We'll see what happens. You know, as the criminal case, we'll see what happens. We'll see what The case plays out. Vinny Palitan, host of Vinny Palitan Investigates. You can find it over on the Court TV YouTube channel. Always great to talk to you, Vinny. Thanks for doing this. Great to see you, Chris. That will do it for On the Case presented by Law and Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. We'll see you next time.