The preppy Princeton murder suspect accused of slaughtering his younger brother — and feasting on his eyeball in a fight of rage — looked scruffy in court Monday as he learned his case would be heard by a grand jury.
A somber Matthew Hertgen, the 31-year-old accused cannibal killer, sported an unkempt beard and an ill-fitting red crew neck sweatshirt during the brief Zoom proceedings in Mercer County Superior Court.
He only voiced pleasantries such as “hello” and “thank you” to the judge, who indicated a grand jury will weigh indictment charges. His family was not in court.
Hertgen’s next hearing is set for May 2.
A former Wesleyan soccer player, Hertgen stands accused of using a knife and a golf club to murder his 26-year-old brother, Joseph, in the family’s ritzy Princeton apartment the night of February 22.
After the heinous deed, he ripped out Joseph’s eye and ate it, according to a law enforcement source.
Sources said he also set the family cat on fire during his rampage, which happened just blocks from the Ivy League university’s campus.