New Brunswick duo killed man, left in empty basement, cops say

NEW BRUNSWICK — Police arrested and charged two men with murder on Saturday, for the death of a 36-year old man whose body was found in the basement of an abandoned home last week.

Juan Carlos Chavez-Amaya, 36, and Jorge Barrios, 28, both were charged with one count of first degree murder and one count of endangering an injured victim in the third degree, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey announced.

Lucas Reyes-Cardona was found dead in a vacant residence on Welton Street on the morning of April 5. He had died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call New Brunswick Police at 732-745-5200, or the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3373.

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