A former soccer player who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the brutal killing of his younger brother has died while being held in a New Jersey jail.
Videos by FanBuzz
According to multiple reports, Matthew Hertgen died May 8 while in custody at the Mercer County Correction Center. Authorities have not officially released a cause of death, though reports indicate the 32-year-old died in an apparent suicide. An autopsy report remains pending.
Hertgen had been awaiting a court hearing that would have determined his long-term placement in New Jersey's psychiatric hospital system after a judge ruled in March that he was not legally responsible for the death of his brother, Joseph Hertgen.
The case drew national attention following the shocking February 2025 killing inside the brothers' Princeton apartment.
Prosecutors said Matthew Hertgen attacked Joseph Hertgen, 26, using knives and a golf club before calling 911. Investigators later said Matthew told officers he had experienced a "fit of madness."
During a bench trial earlier this year, forensic experts testified that Matthew Hertgen suffered from severe schizophrenia and was experiencing intense psychotic delusions at the time of the attack. A judge ultimately concluded he was legally insane when the crime occurred.
The Hertgen brothers were standout soccer players growing up in Toms River, New Jersey. Joseph played collegiately at the University of Michigan, while Matthew competed at Wesleyan University before later working in finance.
Court testimony detailed years of escalating mental health struggles for Matthew Hertgen, including delusions, religious visions and previous suicide attempts.
Following his death, family members remembered him as a caring and loving person whose life was ultimately overtaken by profound mental illness.
Joseph Hertgen was 26. Matthew Hertgen was 32.
