Murder of April Kauffman by Dr James Kauffman and Ferdinand Augello examined in Doctor’s Orders on Discovery+

Mugshots of James Kauffman and Ferdinand Augello
Police say James Kauffman and Ferdinand Augello planned the murder of April Kauffman. Pic credit: Atlantic County Prosecutors Office

Doctor’s Orders on Discovery+ is examing the 2012 murder of local New Jersey radio host April Kauffman, who was killed in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by her husband, Dr. James Kauffman, and members of the Pagan’s motorcycle gang.

Their neighbors and peers viewed the Kauffman’s as an affluent power couple from Atlantic City, New Jersey. April was a popular radio host, and James was a respected doctor.

However, from his medical practice, James was busy running an underground drugs ring, pushing Oxycontin, with the help of criminal motorcycle gang, the Pagans. And when April threatened to expose the operation, he decided to have her murdered.

On May 10, 2012, 47-year-old April was found shot dead in her bedroom at the Kauffman home in Linwood, NJ, a suburb of Atlantic City. She had been shot multiple times.

The mystery of who the killer was gripped the area for years. April’s daughter from a previous marriage, Kimberly Pack, voiced her suspicions that her stepdad was the killer, but no arrests were made for five years.

In the meantime, James Kauffman moved on with his life; he pocketed the life insurance money from his wife’s death and remarried.

Justice eventually caught up to James Kauffman

In 2017, the cops doubled down on their efforts to solve the case, and they caught a break after a member of the Pagans was arrested on an unrelated charge and agreed to talk to the police about the gang’s activities.

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The investigators learned that April had wanted to divorce her husband, and when James refused, she threatened to reveal the illegal activities going on at his medical practice. This led to James approaching one of the leaders of the Pagans, Ferdinand Augello, and asking him to find someone to kill April.

Police believe Francis Mulholland killed April Kauffman

Kauffman and Augello found a man called Francis Mulholland, who was an associate of the Pagans and a heroin addict. He agreed to kill April for either drugs or money.

James Kauffman was arrested in 2017; he claimed he was innocent and stated that it was April who had introduced him to the Pagans. While awaiting trial, he committed suicide. He left a note behind claiming he had nothing to do with his wife’s death.

Mulholland died a year after the murder in what looked like a drugs overdose, although Augello would later claim he was murdered.

Ferdinand Augello was charged with murder and numerous other offenses. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

All three episodes of Doctor’s Orders will be available to stream on discovery+ beginning Friday, September 3. 

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authorlaurence
authorlaurence
2 years ago

If a spouse wants to expose their spouse for whatever illegal crime or action, it is best not to give them any hint of your intentions, otherwise you could be writing your death warrant as was the case with April, and many other similar cases. The Doctor had to know the risk he was running getting involved with a a drug gang. But, he also could not quit what he was doing or the gang would kill him. He was locked in with the only apparent way out being to have his wife killed.

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