Police found him allegedly killed his brother in Princeton, New Jersey after calling 911 to report the fire and body in a gorgeous apartment in which the victim's body was found, prosecutors said.
Matthew Hertgen, 31 years old He was charged with first-degree murder In connection with the death of his 26-year-old brother, Joseph Hertgen. He is also charged with third and fourth-degree arms charges related to possession of a golf club and knife, as well as animal cruelty related to the death of a family member's cat.
Police sources spoke anonymously New York Post Hertgen said he burned the cat.
“It's incredibly tragic. Matthew Hartgen came from what appears to be a perfect national family. No one could have predicted that something like this would happen. It's shocking to end it with such violence, and the loss of his brother Joseph is devastating,” a police source told the Post.
The Princeton man is said to have killed a former star athlete brother, cat before sharing a creepy poem on social media
The murder suspect Matthew Hartgen is depicted in his mug shot. (Mercer County Prosecutor's Office)
Authorities have not yet explained any kind of motives related to Hertgen's murder charge.
Sign up to get True Crime Newsletter
Princeton police first responded to a 911 call on February 22 at about 11:16pm. Fire and corpses In the Michelle Muse Apartment complex.
Princeton police initially answered a 911 call on February 22 at about 11:16pm, reporting a fire and a body at Michelle Muse Apartment Complex. (University of Michigan/Wesleyan University/Google Maps)
Police found Matthew Hartgen at the scene and determined he was a 911 caller. Authorities also found the victim's body. This “showed signs of trauma and laceration of blunt force,” the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.
Joseph Hertgen has been declared dead at the scene, and the results of his autopsy are pending. Local and state officials are investigating the death of the 26-year-old as a murder.
The Princeton man was accused of killing a former star athlete brother, a golf club cat and a knife near an Ivy League school
Matthew Hertgen is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his brother Joseph Hartgen. (wesleyan.edu)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Both brothers played college football at Wesleyan University in Connecticut at Matthew and Joseph at the University of Michigan.
An investigation into Joseph's death is underway. Mercer County Authority We are asking anyone with information about a suspicious crime to contact Princeton PD.
