More gruesome details have emerged in the case of Matthew Hertgen, a former college soccer player who was arrested for brutally murdering his younger brother and their family cat in an apartment near Princeton University. The 31-year-old, who is in police custody in Mercer County, New Jersey, allegedly ripped out his brother Joseph Hertgen’s eyeball, a law enforcement source told the New York Post. Police believe Matthew may have eaten the eyeball.
Police reportedly found a bloody knife, fork and plate near the victim’s body following the horrific attack in a wealthy condo complex near the Ivy League school, the insider told the outlet. This led officers to believe Matthew may have consumed the missing organ.
Matthew allegedly beat and stabbed Joseph, 26, to death with a blade and a golf club. He also allegedly set the family cat on fire. He is now facing various charges including first-degree murder, several weapons charges and one count of animal cruelty.
‘It was gruesome’
After the attack, Matthew himself called 911 to report a body and a fire inside the upscale Michelle Mews apartment complex off Witherspoon Street. At the ritzy complex, units go for up to $2 million.
Police arrived and found Joseph’s bloody body and the torched cat. “It was gruesome,” a police source said. “It was way overboard.”
{{/usCountry}}Police arrived and found Joseph’s bloody body and the torched cat. “It was gruesome,” a police source said. “It was way overboard.”
{{/usCountry}}Another high-ranking Garden State cop said detectives were “shocked” at the brutality of the homicide — and in an Ivy League town.”
One police source described the incident as “incredibly tragic,” adding, “Matthew Hertgen came from what appeared to be a perfect, all-American family. No one could have predicted that something like this would happen. To have it end in such violence is shocking, and the loss of his brother Joseph is devastating.”
Matthew faces up to 30 years to life in prison if convicted. Both the brothers were college soccer stars; while Matthew played at Wesleyan University, Joseph played for the University of Michigan.