Princeton preppy accused in soccer star brother's gruesome murder heads to court: What to know
The Princeton, New Jersey, man accused of killing his brother and a family cat is set to appear in court for the first time Thursday.
Matthew Hertgen, 31, is 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 weapons charges related to possession of a golf club and knife, as well as animal cruelty related to the death of a cat.
Hertgen is expected to appear virtually for a remote pretrial detention hearing in Mercer County on Thursday morning. Due to bail reform in New Jersey, criminal defendants are either charged under a summons and allowed to go home until their court date, or they are charged under a warrant and held in custody until a pretrial detention hearing.
"The prosecutor's office, in this case the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, will decide whether they want to detain you or release you," David Gelman, CEO of Gelman Law and former prosecutor in New Jersey, told Fox News Digital. "If you're detained, then you have to have a detention hearing, which is happening tomorrow. And at the detention hearing, they are going to bring up evidence. It's almost like a mini trial."
Prosecutors may bring up a "probable cause statement" during the hearing and may even call "a witness or two," Gelman explained.
There is also a scoring system for criminal defendants in New Jersey, meaning those accused of crimes are assigned a "score" ranging from 1 to 5 depending on the nature of their alleged crimes, with 5 representing the worst offenses, Gelman said.
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
Gelman also anticipates Hertgen's defense, currently listed as public defender Jamie Hubert, will ask for a mental health examination. The public defender's office told Fox News Digital that its attorneys do not comment on pending cases.
"I have a feeling there's some type of mental issue going on here, because you have an individual who's [in his 30s] and no criminal history whatsoever … a pillar of the community, from what I understand, in a very well-to-do area, Toms River, where he grew up, and he lives in Princeton now, which is very wealthy," Gelman said. "And for him to be charged with these allegations, which are very disturbing, I have to think that there's some kind of mental issue that is going on."
Princeton police initially responded to a 911 call on Feb. 22 at around 11:16 p.m. reporting a fire and a dead body at the Michelle Mews Apartments complex.
Upon arrival, police found Matthew Hertgen, who was determined to be the 911 caller, in the residence along with his brother's body, which "exhibited signs of blunt force trauma and lacerations," the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.
Authorities have yet to describe any kind of motive related to Hertgen's murder charges. The suspect had shared some disturbing, graphic poetry to his Facebook profile in September and May 2024.
Joseph Hertgen was pronounced dead at the scene, and his autopsy results are pending. Local and state officials are investigating the 26-year-old's death as a homicide.
Gelman said the community is shocked by the murder.
"This is something that is uncommon, and that's probably an understatement."
"Princeton is a very affluent area. … Homes there, minimum, you're looking at probably 750[,000] and that's probably like a little shack. So, you're talking about some big-money areas. And the cops are … very prevalent there because they want to make sure that there's no crime. It's a safe area. You have a lot of private schools … so you're talking about a very, very wealthy, affluent area in Princeton."
Both brothers played college soccer: Matthew at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and Joseph at the University of Michigan.
An investigation into Joseph's death is ongoing. Mercer County authorities are asking anyone with information about the alleged crime to contact the Homicide Task Force Sgt. Will Jett at 609-331-5010 or Det. Karl Johnson at 609-439-5258.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
11 hours ago
What to know about Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, lawmakers shot in Minnesota
State Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, who were targeted by a shooter on Saturday, were longtime members of Minnesota's state legislature who spent years working to improve their communities, according to leaders who knew them. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday by a suspect who posed as a police officer, investigators said. They left behind two children. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier in the morning by the same suspect inside their home at Champlin. The couple, who have a daughter, were rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, Gov. Tim Walz said. Both state leaders were members of Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), a state party affiliated with the Democrats. Hortman, 55, nee Haluptzok, had the most experience in the state legislature. She earned a BA in political science and philosophy at Boston University and worked as an intern for then-Sen. Al Gore and later Sen. John Kerry, according to her campaign biography. Hortman went on to earn a law degree at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and clerked with Judge John Sommerville. She later earned an MPA from Harvard in 2018. Outside politics, Hortman worked as a private attorney and volunteered her time in the local school board and Sunday school at Saint Timothy Catholic Church in Blaine. She first ran for office in 1998, for the State House of Representatives seat, but lost. After another defeat for the same seat four years later, Hortman was elected to the state's District 47B in 2004. Hortman quickly rose through the ranks of the House, serving as assistant majority leader from 2007 to 2010 and as minority whip from 2011 to 2012. She championed many causes, including reproductive rights and environmental issues. She also pushed for stricter gun control and attended events with gun control advocates, including Everytown for Gun Safety. In 2017, she was named minority leader and became speaker in 2019 after the DFL gained a majority in the House. Hortman spearheaded efforts to pass police reform in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. During this year's session, the state House Republicans and the DFL engaged in a tense standoff over leadership after Republicans gained seats. A DFL boycott ended in February with a power-sharing agreement where Hortman retained the title of minority leader until a March special election created a tie in the House. Hortman and her husband were married for 31 years. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager for nVent Electric, a company that specialized in electronics, particularly green electronics, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Mark Hortman frequently posted photos and updates about his family on his Facebook page. "A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video showing off how we taught our dog how to ring the doorbell when he wants to come inside. Well, now that dog has figured out that if he wants to play he rings the doorbell and then ding dong ditches us just to get us to come outside and play!," he posted in 2023. The couple was kiled on the same day as the birthday of Melissa Hortman's father, her sister, Lieza Jean Haluptzok, told ABC News. "We loved them dearly; they will be missed. It's a horrible thing. I hope they catch him. And they get justice for what happened. It's devastating," she said Saturday afternoon. Hoffman, 60, was elected to the State Senate in 2012. A Wyoming native, Hoffman earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's University and spent several decades working for various Minnesota businesses and non-profits, according to his campaign bio page. He was the co-founder of Consumer Credit of Minnesota, a non-profit consumer assistance organization, and served on the Anoka Hennepin School Board starting in 2005, his bio said. In 2012, he won the state senate seat for District 34 and would win reelection three more times. He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020 and is on the Senate's Human Services committee. "Throughout my career, I have been afforded many opportunities to assume progressive management roles, which have allowed me to gain and implement a unique set of expertise," he wrote on his campaign page.
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Minnesota State Patrol reveals ‘No Kings' flyers in car of suspect who shot two lawmakers
The Minnesota State Patrol implored the public not to participate in the planned 'No Kings' protests across the North Star State in light of the attack that killed a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, while badly injuring another politician. Officials revealed that the suspect behind the deadly attack had flyers for the 'No Kings' rally in their vehicle. 'Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today's planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution,' state patrol said in a statement. Advertisement 3 Former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down in their home. Melissa Hortman/Facebook 3 Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured in a similar shooting at their home a couple miles away from Hortman. John Hoffman/Facebook 3 People take part in a 'No Kings' protest in Bethesda, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington in defiance of President Trump. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 'The photo is of flyers inside the vehicle of the suspect in today's shootings.' Thousands of 'No Kings' protests had been planned across the US in defiance of President Trump and the 250th Army anniversary parade. Organizers for the demonstrations canceled the planned protests in Northeast Minneapolis.
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
Minnesota gunman sought in deadly shootings of lawmaker, her husband identified as former appointee of Tim Walz: sources
A former appointee of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is being sought in connection with the assassination of a state lawmaker and the shooting of another, police sources said. Vance Luther Boelter allegedly posed as a police officer when he shot Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in their Champlin home early Saturday, leaving them seriously injured before moving on to former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman's house — where he is believed to have slaughtered her and her husband, sources told The Post. 3 Vance Luther Boelter Jenny Boeltner/Facebook 3 Vance Luther Boelter Vance Boeltner/Facebook Boelter, 57, was appointed by Walz in 2019 to serve a four year stint on the Governor's Workforce Development Board, documents show. He previously served on the Governor's Workforce Development Council in 2016 under then -Gov. Mark Dayton. 3 Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. Melissa Hortman/Facebook The killer had fliers with the words 'No Kings' in his car, a reference to Saturday's planned protests against the Trump Administration, as well as a 'manifesto' and a list of other politicians' names, said police, who briefly cornered the shooter at Hortman's home before the suspect fled.
