Michael Anthony’s relatives described the lasting cost of his death as the court imposed the agreed prison term.

CAMDEN, N.J. — An Oregon man was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey state prison for killing veterinarian Michael Anthony outside Anthony’s Cherry Hill home, closing the criminal case after grieving relatives told the court how the December 2024 attack had taken a father, brother, partner and widely respected animal doctor from their lives.

Camden County Superior Court Judge Judith Charny imposed the sentence July 9 on Cristian Custodio-Aquino, 28, of Portland, Oregon. Custodio-Aquino pleaded guilty June 9 to first-degree murder under an agreement that called for 30 years without early parole eligibility. CBS Philadelphia reported that, after credit for time already served, he is not expected to become eligible for parole until 2055. The sentencing came about 19 months after Anthony, 45, was found fatally wounded on the lawn of his home in Cherry Hill’s Barclay Farm neighborhood.

The hearing focused heavily on the life that ended and the family moments that will never occur. Anthony’s relatives described him as warm, funny, sensitive and committed to his two sons. His sister, Patricia Anthony Gershefski, told Custodio-Aquino that he had taken away future experiences that should have belonged to her brother. She also asked that Anthony be remembered for the joyful and generous way he lived rather than for the violence that ended his life. Other family members spoke about birthdays, college milestones and ordinary conversations that Anthony would no longer share with them.

Anthony’s teenage son, Henry Anthony, directly addressed the man who killed his father. His comments conveyed both anger and the depth of a loss that began when the family learned Anthony was dead outside their home. Reporting about the initial case said the teenager went looking for his father after he failed to return from a morning walk and found him in the yard. At sentencing, the son spoke about a future in which his father would not be present to hear about college or other major events. The statements turned the proceeding from a review of evidence into an account of the harm carried by those who survived.

Custodio-Aquino also spoke briefly. According to courtroom reporting, he thanked the judge for allowing Anthony’s family to make statements and said the world was diminished without Anthony. His attorneys, who had challenged the strength of the prosecution’s case during an earlier detention proceeding, did not make a lengthy presentation before the sentence was imposed. Charny ordered the term contained in the plea agreement, bringing the prosecution to an end without a trial and the public testimony that would have accompanied one.

Cherry Hill police were called to the 100 block of Sharrowvale Road at about 7:09 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2024. Officers found Anthony unconscious with multiple stab wounds, and emergency workers pronounced him dead at the scene. Prosecutors later said Custodio-Aquino had traveled from Oregon and waited near Anthony’s home before the attack. They linked the killing to Custodio-Aquino’s former relationship with Anthony’s partner, though the complete personal history among the men was never tested before a jury because of the guilty plea.

The investigation moved from a residential lawn in South Jersey to a nationwide search. Detectives said prescription eyeglasses found near Anthony’s body carried DNA that matched Custodio-Aquino. Investigators traced the glasses through their model information to a retailer in Washington state, which helped them connect the item to him. License-plate readers and surveillance evidence also placed his Nissan Altima in or near Anthony’s neighborhood around the time of the killing, prosecutors said. Anthony’s blood was later recovered from inside the vehicle, adding another piece of physical evidence to the case.

Investigators also examined Custodio-Aquino’s movements before and after Anthony died. Prosecutors said his vehicle was recorded traveling through several states after leaving New Jersey. Authorities charged him with murder on Feb. 7, 2025, and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him four days later in Fresno, California. At a June 2025 detention hearing, prosecutors said his phone had been wiped several hours before the homicide and that a screenshot containing information about Anthony’s memorial service was later found on the device. A judge ruled that Custodio-Aquino posed a flight risk and danger to the community and ordered him held.

The murder disrupted a family and a veterinary community that knew Anthony through Haddon Vet in Haddon Heights. He owned the practice and had built a reputation for treating animals while also calming worried owners. His obituary described a lifelong interest in animals, a dedication to his patients and a belief that caring for a pet also meant responding to the concerns of the person who brought it through the clinic door. Colleagues and clients remembered his professional skill, compassion and commitment to animal care. Outside the clinic, relatives said his greatest pride came from being the father of two sons.

Anthony also enjoyed jogging and music, interests that gave the family’s account of him a life beyond the courtroom label of “victim.” Relatives said he had arranged important parts of his life around staying close to his children, including moving his veterinary practice nearer to them. His partner, Kyle Bartsch, said in a statement presented during sentencing that Anthony had filled their home with love and laughter. Bartsch described the death as leaving a permanent absence for the people who had relied on Anthony’s affection, humor and daily presence.

For authorities, the guilty plea and sentence marked the final legal result of an investigation that depended on cooperation among Cherry Hill police, Camden County prosecutors, forensic specialists and federal officers. Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay said after the plea that the case required persistence to identify Custodio-Aquino and locate him in California months after the killing. She said no court result could undo the family’s loss but expressed hope that holding him accountable would provide some measure of closure while preserving Anthony’s legacy of service.

The 30-year term resolves the murder charge, but the family’s statements made clear that the consequences of the crime will continue long after the sentencing hearing. Custodio-Aquino will remain in state custody under the terms of the judgment. Anthony’s relatives, sons, partner, former spouse, colleagues and clients are left to mark future events without him while trying to ensure that his years as a father and veterinarian remain more central to his memory than the circumstances of his death.

Author note: Last updated July 15, 2026.