TRENTON – The devastating parents of preppy murderer Matthew Hartgen did not appear in New Jersey courtroom Thursday morning for their son's first in-person hearing as they faced charges of a sibling's bashing and novel death in Princeton, New Jersey.
The 31-year-old Hertgen appears to be consistent with warnings and vigilance during the case in Mercer County Superior Court, and agrees that despite the wealth of his family, he should go to jail until trial on murder and animal abuse, represented by a public defense attorney.
Parents David and Debra Hartgen appeared to be completely fleeing to the funeral on Saturday for their youngest child, Joseph, 26. Their eldest son, David Jr., praised him, saying, “No one on earth would forget I would call my brother.”
Matthew, a former Wesleyan footballer, is accused of using a knife and a golf club to kill Jospe. According to law enforcement sources, he tore Joseph's eyes and ate.
Sources say he also burned and set the family cat on fire in his luxury apartment in Princeton, just a block from the Ivy League University campus.
In court Thursday, Hartgen nodded “Yes” as official defense attorney Jason Matey asked if he had considered his constitutional rights and agreed to detention.
Mercer County public defense attorney Malaeika Montgomery said that despite her father being the president and chief executive officer of a multi-million-dollar high-tech company, Hartgen's family has heard nothing about the possibility of him hiring a private defense attorney.
He has seven days to file an appeal if he changes his mind about staying in prison before trial, Matie told the court.
The judge appeared at the next court on March 24th at 1:30pm.
Last Thursday, Hartgen was about to hang out at the Mercer County Correction Center.
The defendant's murderer faces 30 years of life in prison if convicted.
The former college footballer embarked on a rampage with a twist – which surprised people who knew his heeled family – months after he posted a chilled poem on Facebook, he sucked his eyes and described the “knife sharpening.”
Hartgen also took a selfie with a cat toy a day before the vicious massacre.
The Hartgen brothers were outstanding athletes who grew up in a $1.1 million home on the Toms River before their family was uprooted into the cold parts of Princeton.
The murder occurred last month at the family home in a luxury Michelle Muse apartment. The unit can go for up to $2 million.
Officers discovered a horrifying scene when the murder suspect called officers to report the body and fired fire inside the Witherspoon Street home.
A bloody knife, fork and plate were found near the victim's body, sources said.
Authorities have yet to reveal the motives of Hartgen's spiral for the murderous insanity.
