Man allegedly kills younger brother, cat with knife and golf club in apartment
02/25/2025 2:20 pm PST
PRINCETON, N.J. (TCN) -- A 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of killing his younger brother and a cat with a knife and golf club over the weekend.
The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that on Feb. 22, at 11:16 p.m., Princeton Police Department officers responded to a call about a fire and a dead body in one of the units at the Michelle Mews Apartments. When they arrived, they made contact with Matthew Hertgen, the suspect and 911 caller, inside apartment, and found 26-year-old Joseph Hertgen deceased with blunt force trauma-related injuries. He also had lacerations across his body.
Officials pronounced Joseph Hertgen deceased at the scene. Police also located a dead cat.
Investigators arrested Matthew Hertgen on charges of first-degree murder, third-degree animal cruelty, and other weapons-related charges for his possession of a knife and golf club.
Joseph Hertgen's cause and manner of death are still pending.
Joseph Hertgen attended the University of Michigan and played on their varsity soccer team from 2016 to 2019. He was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and three-time University of Michigan Athletic Academic Achievement recipient. Matthew Hertgen also played soccer at Wesleyan College in Connecticut.
If convicted of murder, Matthew Hertgen could face 30 years to life in prison.
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