Former college soccer player Matthew Hertgen, 31, has been charged with the first-degree murder of his younger brother, Joseph Hertgen, 26, and the killing of a cat at an apartment in Princeton, New Jersey, on Saturday, February 22.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges on Monday, February 24.
Prosecutors allege that Matthew used both a knife and a golf club in the attack on his brother.
He is also facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing the family cat, which was found in the apartment during the investigation.
According to the press release, the authorities responded to a 911 call reporting a fire and a dead body at the Michelle Mews Apartment complex.
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Upon arriving at the scene, they found Matthew, the 911 caller, in the apartment alongside the body of Joseph, who had suffered blunt force trauma and multiple lacerations.
Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene, though the official cause of death is still pending an autopsy.
Matthew Hertgen, a former soccer player at Toms River North High School and Wesleyan University, is now facing serious charges.
His brother Joseph was also an accomplished soccer player, having been a three-time Academic All-Big Ten athlete while playing at the University of Michigan from 2016 to 2019.
