Police seek to unlock devices in Princeton brother murder case

🔴 Princeton man accused of slaying brother
🔴 Police handle ‘locked’ devices
🔴 Case headed for grand jury

TRENTON — It was another very brief court hearing for a Mercer County man accused of brutally murdering his younger brother — and the Princeton family’s cat — last month.

Matthew Hertgen appeared remotely from jail on Monday afternoon. The heavily-bearded 31-year-old was wearing a maroon-colored long-sleeve pullover.

Hertgen’s pre-indictment conference lasted less than 10 minutes.

His only words were confirming that he could hear Superior Court Judge Robert Lytle, saying, “Yes I can, good afternoon.”

Hertgen has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 22, after allegedly killing Joseph Hertgen.

Read More: Princeton brother charged with murder called cops to bloody scene

He reported a fire and his brother’s body inside his home at the Michelle Mews luxury apartments.

The 26-year-old victim had suffered extensive head and body injuries and was lying in a pool of blood when police arrived, according to court documents.

He was found next to blood-covered dinnerware, and his right eye appeared to have been cut out.

Read More: Gruesome Princeton NJ ‘murder’ brother volunteers to stay in jail 

Matthew Hertgen was also accused of burning and killing the family’s pet cat.

Prosecutors have requested that the case be referred to a grand jury, with no objection from Hertgen’s public defender.

Another item addressed on Monday was the challenge of a "couple" password protected devices seized from Matthew Hertgen at the time of his arrest.

On his publicly viewed Facebook page, Matthew Hertgen shared at least two poems with violent imagery last year.

The day before his brother’s killing, he also shared a self photo with what appeared to be a cat toy next to him on the floor.

A hearing was set for May 2 for attorneys in the Hertgen case to present arguments under the Andrews Motion.

The motion takes its name from a case involving an Essex County Sheriff’s Officer, who faced official misconduct charges filed in 2016.

Robert Andrews unsuccessfully claimed that being forced to provide his cell phone passwords violated his right against self-incrimination.

The case worked its way up to the state Supreme Court, which upheld the trial court’s order, compelling Andrews to disclose his phone passwords.

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