A cannibal who butchered his younger brother and ate his eyeball has been found dead in prison.
Matthew Hertgen was accused of brutally killing his 26-year-old brother, Joseph, during a psychotic episode before mutilating the corpse.
The former university soccer player was cleared of his Joseph’s murder by reason of insanity by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lytle in March.
Hertgen was discovered unresponsive inside Mercer County Jail on May 8, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officials have not yet released a formal cause of death but the New York Post reports
The 31-year-old had attempted to take his own life before just days after his arrest in February 2025.
His obituary said that ‘Matthew struggled with severe and profound mental health issues’ in his later years, adding:’Yet he expressed sorrow, remorse, and repentance in many ways.’
It continued: ‘He departed with the love, friendship and forgiveness of his family and the eternal hope of salvation.’
Younger brother Joseph was found lying in a pool of blood beside a knife after officers responded to reports of a fire and a dead body in Princeton on February 22, 2025.
The attack unfolded inside the brothers’ luxury apartment close to the Ivy League university.
Investigators described how Matthew used a knife and golf clubs to beat and stab his younger brother to death before tearing out one of his eyes and eating it.
Matthew was also accused of killing the family cat and setting the animal on fire.
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For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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Surveillance footage shown during proceedings reportedly captured Joseph trying to restrain his oldder brother moments before the attack.
In March 2025, Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lytle ruled Hertgen not guilty by reason of insanity after experts concluded he was suffering from severe schizophrenia during the killing.
That decision meant Hertgen avoided a traditional murder conviction and instead faced indefinite confinement in a psychiatric institution.
The gruesome details shocked the US, in particular because of the family’s picture-perfect upbringing.
The brothers grew up in a wealthy family in New Jersy before moving to upscale Michelle Mews apartents in Princeton.
Joseph’s obituary at the time of his death paid tribute to a ‘kind person’ with ‘a great love of life’ and a ‘smile [that] brightened every room’.
Matthew Hertgen reportedly battled schizophrenia and severe mental illness for years before the killing.
Testimony presented in court showed Hertgen suffered from delusions and believed he was experiencing divine visions connected to the apocalypse.
Forensic psychologist Dr Gianni Pirelli told the court that Hertgen believed at different times he was Jesus Christ, God, the Anti-Christ, or possessed multiple souls.
The expert said Hertgen convinced himself that a ‘sacrificial murder could save’ the world.
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