{"id":309,"date":"2026-05-24T06:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T06:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=309"},"modified":"2026-05-24T06:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T06:35:14","slug":"preppy-princeton-killer-who-slayed-brother-and-ate-his-eyeball-found-dead-in-jail-cell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=309","title":{"rendered":"Preppy Princeton killer who slayed brother and ate his eyeball found dead in jail cell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The preppy Princeton cannibal killer \u2014 who was determined to be not guilty by reason of insanity \u2014 was found dead in his New Jersey jail cell in an apparent suicide.<\/p>\n

Read more Iran agrees to give up \u2018nuclear dust\u2019 stockpile in deal with Trump: report<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Hertgen was found dead at Mercer County Jail May 8, the Mercer County Prosecutor\u2019s Office told NJ.com, which revealed the death Friday. An official cause of death has not been released. <\/p>\n

He previously attempted to hang himself in his Mercer County Jail cell a week after his February 2025 arrest. <\/p>\n

Hertgen, 31, was found not criminally responsible for his brother\u2019s murder by reason of insanity by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lytle on March 19.<\/p>\n

The former Wesleyan soccer player ripped out his little brother\u2019s eyeball and devoured it after stabbing and beating him to death with golf clubs in their ritzy apartment in February 2025.<\/p>\n

Hertgen also set the family cat on fire after his horrific slaughter of his 26-year-old brother Joseph.<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s corpse was found by cops lying in a pool of blood beside a bloody knife, after the twisted rampage, police officials said. <\/p>\n

Surveillance footage shown at Hertgen\u2019s trial showed him tackling Matthew to the ground and assaulting him. <\/p>\n

The deranged cannibal suffered from \u201cprophetic and divine visions,\u201d according to forensic psychologist Dr. Gianni Pirelli, and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. <\/p>\n

Read more Fury over California congressional candidate\u2019s outrageous anti-America protest<\/a><\/p>\n

Pirelli testified that Hertgen had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that he believed himself at various times to be Jesus Christ, anti-Christ, God or to have multiple souls. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime he closes his eyes, he\u2019s seeing tremendous visions,\u201d Pirelli said.<\/p>\n

He also believed that the world was on the brink of the apocalypse, and only a \u201csacrificial murder could save it,\u201d the doctor testified.<\/p>\n

He was also influenced by a chapter in Swiss psychologist\u00a0Carl Jung\u2019s\u00a0\u201cRed Book\u201d entitled \u201cThe Sacrificial Murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of clicks for him and he puts two and two together,\u201d Pirelli said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Hertgen\u2019s mental health problems began when he was living in New York City in 2021. <\/p>\n

He had an idyllic childhood and grew up with his brothers in a tony $1.1 million home in Toms River before his family relocated to the luxe Michelle Mews apartments. <\/p>\n

His family remembered the delusional maniac as a \u201ccaring and loving person\u201d in his obituary. <\/p>\n

\u201cDuring his later years, Matthew struggled with severe and profound mental health issues; yet he expressed sorrow, remorse, and repentance in many ways,\u201d the obituary stated. <\/p>\n

Read more Vile video shows Israeli couple harassed by antisemitic hotel employee in California: \u2018Are you a baby killer?\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matthew Hertgen ripped out his little brother’s eyeball and devoured it after stabbing and beating him to death with golf clubs in their ritzy apartment in February 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nPreppy Princeton killer who slayed brother and ate his eyeball found dead in jail cell - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=309\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Preppy Princeton killer who slayed brother and ate his eyeball found dead in jail cell - 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