The New Jersey man accused of brutally beating and stabbing his younger brother to death in a luxury Princeton apartment had posted an eerie poem on social media months before the crime that included lines about "knives sharpening" and "blood oozing from his eyes."
Matthew Hertgen's mugshot, released on Tuesday, captured the bearded suspect with a thousand-yard stare after being charged with fratricide—the killing of his 26-year-old brother, Joseph Hertgen, on Saturday night. Back in September, the 31-year-old suspect shared unsettling verses on his Facebook page, possibly hinting at his troubled mental state. Matthew and Joseph were soccer stars from Princeton, New Jersey, and come from an affluent family.
Mentally Unstable
"What have you created?/ Why have you created it?/ Who are you trying to strangle?" Matthew wrote. "And what god are you serving?/ I can see the knives sharpening/ I can hear the arrows whizzing/ I can feel my heart beating/ But can he?"
"Someone sits alone in that room/ That room where the walls shake," the poem continued. "He still has a pulse/ Blood still flows through his veins/ But something is wrapped around him/ Squeezing him/ Choking him/ Suffocating him."
"Tightly wound around his head/ Fastened deep in his throat/ Blood oozes out of his eyes," Matthew continued. "His ears are sparking/ His face vibrates/ He convulses, and he doesn't stop/ He's lost/ He's asleep/ He's dead."
Matthew Hertgen is accused of attacking Joseph with a knife and a golf club, fatally slashing and beating him around 11:15 p.m. on Saturday night.
The family's pet cat was also found dead.
According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, police responded to the four-story Michelle Mews apartment complex on Witherspoon Street after Hertgen dialed 911 to report a fire and a deceased person inside.
Upon arrival, officers found Joseph's bloodied body and took his brother into custody.
"[The victim] exhibited various injuries including signs of blunt force trauma and lacerations. Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene," prosecutors said.
"The complaint alleges that Matthew purposely or knowingly engaged in conduct that led to the death of his younger brother and caused the death of a cat that was located within the residence."
Motive Still Unclear
The motive behind the killing is still unclear. If found guilty, Matthew could face a prison sentence of up to 30 years to life. The Michelle Mews Apartment complex is a high-end residence located within Palmer Square Residences in downtown Princeton, just minutes from the Ivy League university.
According to its website, current rental prices for Michelle Mews Apartments range from $6,275 to $6,300 per month.
Both brothers were standout college soccer players—Matthew competed for Wesleyan University from 2011 to 2014, while Joseph played for the University of Michigan from 2016 to 2019.
They also excelled in soccer during their high school years at Toms River North, as reported by NJ.com.
Joseph earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, specializing in Accounting and Finance, in 2020. He was working as an analyst at Locust Point Capital, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The brothers were raised in an upscale four-bedroom, three-bathroom mansion in Toms River, New Jersey, which featured a backyard swimming pool.
Their father, David Hertgen, is the president and CFO of WiLine Networks, a business internet provider, per his LinkedIn profile.
Founded in 2002, WiLine Networks generates an estimated $88 million in revenue, according to RocketReach.
