Dangerous Delusions | The Matthew Hertgen Case

On February 22, 2025, a 911 call came in from a luxury apartment complex in Princeton, New Jersey. The caller told dispatch there was a fire, and a body. The body was his younger brother.

Matthew Hertgen was 31, a Wesleyan grad and former college soccer player. Joseph was 27, a finance analyst, the little brother everyone liked. Hours before the killing, a third Hertgen brother had driven Matthew home, watched him fall apart in the passenger seat, and texted him to hang in there. That text was sent about an hour before the 911 call.

This week we get into the four years of untreated psychosis that led to that night, the single witness whose testimony ended the trial in one day, and a verdict that even the prosecution said it could not argue against. We also talk about what happens to a family when the person who killed your son is also your son.

Content warning: this episode includes descriptions of graphic violence, animal cruelty, psychosis and suicide. Please take care of yourself while listening.

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