FLEMINGTON, NJ (Hunterdon County) – A Hunterdon County grand jury returned a three-count indictment this week charging a Newton man for the murder of 38-year-old Michelle M. Carkhuff, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée Robeson.
Brandon E. Petersen, 31, of Newton, was indicted for one count of first-degree murder, one count of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and one count of fourth-degree unlawful taking of a means of conveyance. He remains in the Warren County Jail, Robeson said.
On December 6, 2020, at around 9:13 p.m., officers from the Delaware Township Police Department responded to the report of a stabbing victim at a residence on Kingwood Stockton Road. When police arrived, officers discovered that Carkhuff’s friends had transported her to a local hospital in Mercer County where she succumbed to her injuries, Robeson said.
Petersen then departed the residence prior to officers arriving at the scene. Following a joint investigation by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and the Delaware Township Police Department, Petersen was arrested the following morning in Pennsylvania, Robeson said.
