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‘It Was Either Him Or Me’: Jail Warden Allegedly Admits To Husband's Fatal Shooting
Antonia Ashford, 44, allegedly told authorities she shot her husband in the cheek following a physical dispute at the couple’s New Jersey residence. The couple was known to point firearms at each other during arguments, according to their son.
An associate jail warden at a Brooklyn federal jail allegedly confessed to the deadly shooting of her husband earlier this week.
Antonia Ashford, 44, allegedly admitted to detectives she shot her husband, Roderick Ashford, in the face at their Jackson, New Jersey home under questioning.
“It was either him or me,” Antonia Ashford, 44, an associate warden for Metropolitan Detention Center, told law enforcement, NJ.com reported.
However, the 44-year-old was adamant she hadn’t intended to shoot her spouse.
On Monday, Ashford said the couple had gotten into a verbal argument that spiraled into physical violence at their residence on Harvey Jones Drive. Following the confrontation, Ashford allegedly locked herself in the bathroom for approximately 30 minutes. Upon leaving the bathroom, she again encountered her husband, who was angry she’d previously scratched him.
At about 2:15 a.m. Ashford is alleged to have aimed a semi-automatic pistol at her spouse and discharged a single round into his cheek, according to police. Her husband, subsequently died from his injuries.
“They continued to argue in the hallway until she fired one shot at the victim,” Detective Robert Reiff of the Jackson Township Police Department wrote in the probable cause affidavit, according to the New York Daily News.
The couple’s marriage had deteriorated for years prior to the shooting, authorities said.
Their son told police that his parents frequently aimed firearms at one another during household disputes, a criminal complaint stated. He said he last saw his father 10 minutes prior to the shooting and that Roderick Ashford wasn’t armed. Antonia Ashford also told law enforcement that her husband wasn’t in possession of a firearm.
“He walked past his parents as they were arguing and observed Antonia holding a firearm, but noticed Roderick to be unarmed,” the affidavit stated. “Approximately 10 minutes went by, and he then heard a gunshot.”
Their son described the couple’s argument, which precluded the shooting, as “typical” according to the New York Daily News.
The suspected firearm used in the slaying, a gun holster, and a purse were seized from the house’s bathroom closet.
Antonia Ashford allegedly confessed to the shooting roughly three hours later. She was charged with Roderick Ashford’s murder, despite her insistence she didn’t mean to kill her husband.
“Throughout the interview, Antonia advised that something was different today, specifically stating ‘It was either him or me,’” Reiff also stated in police documents.
The Metropolitan Detention Center, situated in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, also houses both Ghislaine Maxwell and R. Kelly. Ashford has worked at the facility since December 2020, according to the New York Daily News. Attorney information wasn’t immediately available for the 44-year-old.
The Bureau of Prisons weren’t immediately available to comment on the allegations Ashford is facing on Friday.
