Hammonton’s Double Murder Suspect Appears in Court

The southern New Jersey man accused of killing two people in Hammonton last month made an initial appearance in court Thursday. Thirty-two-year-old Patrick Latko of Wenonah Borough in  Gloucester County is charged with the Nov. 3 murders of his 29-year-old friend Ryan Patterson and Patterson's 64-year-old mother, Diana.

Latko told Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury he cannot not afford an attorney, and will applying for a public defender. No future court dates have been set in the case.

He is being held in the Salem County Jail on $2 million bail. Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel says investigators are still looking for an iPhone that belonged to Ryan Patterson. The prosecutor would not say whether the phone being sought was the one used to call 911.

 (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)