Life in Prison for Now-Convicted Murderer Kenneth Patterson

Courthouse speculation was confirmed confirmed Monday when Kenneth Patterson, 50, of Trenton, plead guilty to murdering his ex-girlfriend – Falls Township resident Diane Corado – days before Christmas in 2010.

The plea was part of a deal struck with between the prosecution and defense earlier this year.

Following his plea, he was sentenced by Judge Alan Rubenstein to life in prison and a consecutive 32 1/2 to 65 years behind bars, Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Michelle Henry said.

Patterson, a former convict with a drug history, plead guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, false imprisonment, unlawful restraint, aggravated assault, criminal trespass and possessing an instrument of crime.

Henry said Corado’s family has approved the deal. As part of the bargain, Patterson agreed to a full written statement on the crime, which would include the location of Corado’s body.

The location of the body was given to investigators by Patterson on April 25. Police recovered the remains from the north branch of Newton Creek in Camden, N.J. the next day, Henry said.

Patterson, who was represented by a public defender, has agreed not to appeal his conviction, the assistant district attorney said.

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Corado’s body was located not far from the Camden street where police discovered Patterson’s black 2004 Pontiac Aztek SUV shortly after she went missing. According to court documents, much of the car was covered in blood. Falls police Lt. Hank Ward has said previously that investigators are nearly certain no one could survive that much blood loss.

At around 6 a.m. on December 19, 2010 , Patterson busted into Corado’s apartment at the Village of Pennbrook complex on Mill Creek Road in Falls, police said. According to court documents, an angry Patterson attacked Corado with a pipe and pulled her by her hair. A friend, who was staying in the apartment, was forced to get inside Patterson’s Aztek along with Corado, police said.

The woman pleaded with Patterson to get his ex-girlfriend medical attention, but he instead pushed the woman out of the Aztek in the area of Route 13 and Penn Valley Road, BucksLocalNews.com previously reported.

After Corado’s friend called police, they assembled a task force to search for the woman and Patterson.

Police got information that the Aztek had crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge a few hours after she was kidnapped and was possibly in Camden. A search of the city recovered a key, which lead police to the Aztek.

Further investigation lead to police from multiple agencies arresting Patterson at the Clover Motel on Route 73 just outside of Camden in Maple Shade. Police said the murder suspect was found wearing blood-stained clothes.

The arrest sparked a huge body search that involved local, state and federal authorities.

Police initially combed through Falls Township Community Park, which is across the street from where Corado lived, with officers and K-9 dogs. They searched the park several times and found nothing.

Authorities also searched Morrisville Borough, the city of Trenton, along the river and Bloomsdale-Fleetwing in Bristol Township, a wooded area in Abington, a 15 mile stretch of the Turnpike and the bases of all Philadelphia-area bridges that cross the Delaware River.  They kept striking out.

Dozens of officers and trained police dogs – coming from as far away as the Jersey shore and Lancaster – searched nearly the entire city of Camden for days. Investigators still did not find Corado.

The hunt for Corado’s body has been refereed to as one of the large searched in area history.

Until the deal, officials said Patterson did not cooperate with investigators.

Corado, who was 50 when she was kidnapped, is survived by her adult son, Scott Melnick.

Related:

• Body ID’d as Missing Falls Woman; Alleged Killer Gave Location, Official Says