At 11:16 p.m. on Saturday, the Princeton police receive a disturbing 911 call reporting a deceased individual and a fire at an apartment complex. However, the caller provides minimal information, refusing to answer inquiries from the dispatcher regarding the identity of the deceased, the circumstances surrounding the death, or the apartment ownership. Police and first responders surround the building, but nothing prepares them for what they find inside. Upon their arrival, officers are greeted by Matthew Hertgen, a 31-year-old man. Inside the apartment, they discover a young man with severe injuries from blunt force trauma and lacerations, ultimately leading to his death. Tragically, one of the victim’s eyes is missing. Among the gruesome findings are a bloodied plate, fork, and knife, as well as a bloody golf club and what appears to be the burned remains of a cat. The deceased individual is identified as 26-year-old Joseph Hertgen. Matthew Hertgen is promptly taken into custody for the murder of his younger brother. The presence of the bloodstained plate suggests that, in addition to the fatal beating, Hertgen consumed his brother’s eye. While the authorities have not disclosed a motive for the violent assault, Hertgen faces charges of animal cruelty and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent offense. The Princeton community is stunned. Residents describe Joseph’s death as devastating and tragic. A police source says no one could have foreseen such violence. Matthew Hertgen, they say, came from what appeared to be a stable, all-American family, with no signs he was capable of such brutality—especially against his own brother. Joining Nancy Grace today: Additional Guests Sam Bassett – Criminal Defense Attorney at Minton, Bassett, Flores & Carsey, Former President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Educational Institute, Long-Time Faculty member of the Texas Criminal Trial College (Huntsville, TX), MBFC.com, Facebook: MintonBassett, Instagram: @MBFC_Law Dr. Jan Gordian – Former Medical Examiner, Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (Las Vegas, NV), Board Certified Forensic Pathologist Karen Wall – Senior Local Editor at Patch Media [covering the Jersey Shore region], Website: patch.com; X: @karenwall1966, Facebook: karen.e.wall, Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts. [Feature Photos: Matthew and Joseph Hergen/ University of Michigan; Wesleyan University]