Sussex assistant prosecutor honored for 'Outstanding Advocacy' by fellow state attorneys

When Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller takes on a new case in criminal court, it's not about winning, says his boss.

"It's his unwavering dedication to justice," Francis Koch, Sussex County prosecutor said of his second in command on Tuesday. "That's what makes his career outstanding."

Instead, it's about seeking the truth and doing what he feels is right, Koch said of Mueller, who has served in law enforcement for over 25 years.

Those qualities are, in part, why Mueller was selected by the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey as the winner of the 2020 Outstanding Advocacy Over the Course of a Career award last month. And why Mueller is the first assistant prosecutor in Sussex County to receive the honor, after being chosen from among 900 assistant prosecutors statewide.

This year's ceremony was held virtually.

Mueller said he was awe-struck when he was notified of the honor – and determined to stay humble.

"This is a team award for all the support staff, detectives and the people I work with on a day-to-day basis ... I am fortunate they have faith in me so they share in this award too," Mueller said by phone. 

He also credited the prosecutors who preceded him and others who have mentored him along the way, including current Morris County Superior Court Judge Thomas Critchley and former Morris County First Assistant Prosecutor Karin Kelly-Weisert.

Mueller recalled a moment just two years into his career when he was called into Kelly-Weisert's office after he exercised his own discretion and made a solo decision in a case. Instead of facing discipline, Kelly-Weisert was proud when he was able to articulate why he made the decisions he did.

"She told me that the only people that don't wind up in her office are people who don't make decisions," he recalled. "If you do nothing, you'll never get in trouble but you'll do nothing."

"Always be able to justify anytime you made a decision and made sure you are able to articulate the decision that you made." 

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Mueller graduated with honors from Duquesne University School of Law in 1995 and began his career with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. He assisted in the domestic violence unit, appellate section and major crimes unit before leaving in 2005 to join the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office. He was promoted to first assistant in 2009.

He's prosecuted several high-profile cases in Sussex including the 2010 mistaken identity kidnapping of Newton business owner Jeffrey Muller by three Missouri men and the stabbing death of former Sussex County Sheriff's Officer and Boy Scout leader Dennis Pegg at the hands of Clark Fredericks. Interwoven in the case were allegations by Fredericks that Pegg sexually assaulted him as a child.

The homicide was investigated for three years before Fredericks pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served a 4 ½-year prison sentence.

Koch said Mueller and the Sussex prosecutor's office were "widely praised by the trial court and community leaders for the manner in which the complex and sensitive case was handled."

The 1999 murder of Sussex resident James Coursen Jr. went unsolved for 13 years before the Sussex Prosecutor’s Office reopened the case in 2008. Mueller assisted in the investigative efforts, linking Jerry Vandermark, of Wantage, to the 51-year-old’s death. Vandermark later pleaded guilty.

Mueller continues to prosecute cases involving law enforcement officers and high-ranking local officials. He has represented New Jersey in several cases before the state Supreme Court.

He is the vice president of the First Assistant Prosecutors Association, a faculty member of the New Jersey Attorney General Advocacy Institute and has served on numerous working groups and committees.

"I think the Hallmark of Greg's career is that he does what he thinks is right and just," Koch said. "He is always seeking more knowledge, more facts making sure the right thing in done."

Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.