Police arrested a 31-year-old former college soccer star for allegedly murdering his younger brother on the weekend. But gruesome new details about the case make the situation much worse.
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We recently reported on the incident, and the Mercer County Prosecutor's office posted a press release. Matthew Hertgen, 31, is accused of killing his younger brother, Joseph Hertgen, 26, at their home in the Michelle Mews Appartments on Palmer Square. Authorities are charging Matthew with first-degree murder and several third and fourth-degree weapon offenses owing to a knife and golf club found at the scene. Matthew is also accused of animal abuse, as a dead cat was found at the residence.
According to a report by the New York Post, a law enforcement source has shared several grisly details with the outlet. Matthew allegedly 'ripped out his little brother's eyeball' after beating and slashing him to death. Disturbingly, police reportedly believe Matthew consumed the eye.
A bloody plate and cutlery were allegedly found by Joseph's body, suggesting the missing eye was eaten. Matthew reportedly set the dead cat found at the home on fire and wrote a morbid poem on social media a few months prior. Per a report by NDTV, lines in the poem read:
"I can see the knives sharpening
Blood oozes out of his eyes
He convulses, and he doesn't stop
He's lost, he's asleep, he's dead."
The Scene Was So Gruesome That It Shocked Detectives
Per The New York Post, a high-ranking Garden State police officer said the "brutality of the homicide, and in an Ivy League town, shocked most detectives." Another source reportedly described the scene as "Gruesome. It was way overboard. He even killed the cat, setting him on fire."
Matthew and Joseph Hertgen came from a wealthy family, and their father is reportedly the president and CFO of WiLine Networks. Both brothers were college soccer stars. Matthew played for Wesleyan University between 2011 and 2014. Joseph was on the University of Michigan Team between 2016 and 2019. If convicted of first-degree murder, Matthew could face thirty years to life behind bars.
