An intricate N.J. tale of love and death

The deadly confrontation in Berlin Borough where one man shot another with a bow and arrow was the culmination of a peculiar feud, a Superior Court judge in Camden heard Wednesday.

It was a tangled tale: A spurned lover trying to reclaim the affections of a woman; a threat by that man to infect someone with HIV; allegations of stalking; a history of drug abuse - and the fatal intervention of another man.

The drama came to a head Monday night outside a tidy split-level in the shadow of a concrete plant.

Timothy Canfield, 25, a mechanic who lives with his fiance and her family on North Brill Avenue, is charged with murder for shooting Kereti Paulsen, 25, outside the house.

It is "either a self-defense case . . . or at the most a reckless manslaughter," said Canfield's attorney, Jeffrey Zucker, noting that the victim had once claimed to be HIV-positive and threatened to "stab somebody with a needle."

Authorities saw it differently.

Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Howard Gilfert said Canfield left the "mortally wounded Mr. Paulsen lying in the yard of that home while he took steps to hide evidence" - the bow and arrows.

Canfield, arraigned on murder charges, pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $800,000.

Canfield and his fiance, Ashley Dulin, lived with her sister, Tricia Dulin, and their parents, Thomas and Helen. Both sisters have young children. Ashley Dulin has a 5-year-old son fathered by Canfield. Tricia Dulin also has a son.

Zucker said Tricia Dulin and Paulsen had had a rough relationship. He was a 2006 graduate of Eastern High School in Voorhees who worked as a bartender and server, and had addresses in Wildwood and Cape May Court House.

Paulsen doted over a 5-year-old daughter he had with Lauren Palmer, 25, also of Berlin. Palmer said Paulsen had told her he was not the father of Tricia Dulin's child.

Palmer said she and Paulsen had remained friends, calling him "my personal comic relief." She described him as a genuinely good guy who struggled with drugs: "He was always wanting to be clean."

Tricia Dulin had started seeing another man, but Paulsen wanted her back, Zucker said.

On Paulsen's MySpace page, a long note describes his relationship with Dulin. That post ends, "I love you very much Tricia Ann Dulin and will love you for as long as we both shall live. . . ." There also are references to daily fights, mistakes, and regrets.

Zucker said that the couple had used heroin and that Tricia Dulin broke up with Paulsen after she stopped using.

Both the accused and the victim had had brushes with the law.

According to court records, Paulsen had several arrests, mostly on drug charges.

Gilfert said in 2004, Canfield was placed on probation as a juvenile for endangering the welfare of a 4-year-old and is a "Megan's Law registrant." The prosecutor also brought up a 2008 burglary and theft charge against Canfield. Zucker said the charge was expunged.

Zucker said police had been called several times to the Dulin home, including by Canfield, when Paulsen showed up despite being told not to, though no charges were filed.

When Paulsen returned Monday night, he got into a fight with Tricia Dulin's new boyfriend.

After the fight broke up, Canfield came out with a high-powered bow and a quiver of arrows, authorities said. "They thought he may have had a weapon," Zucker said of Paulsen.

With an arrow pointed at Paulsen, Canfield warned him, he said. Paulsen advanced and Canfield stepped back, tripped, and accidentally released the arrow, Zucker said.

He noted that his client then called 911, acknowledging that Canfield made the call from Paulsen's phone while posing as the wounded man. Afterward, Canfield hid the weapon in a wooded area of Winslow Township. Zucker said his client panicked.