HUNTERDON COUNTY, NJ – On Friday, a jury has found Brandon E. Petersen, age 33, from Newton, Sussex County, guilty of multiple charges including first-degree murder, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson. Other charges include third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and fourth-degree unlawful taking of a means of conveyance. Petersen was acquitted on the charge of third-degree witness tampering.
The charges relate to an incident on December 6, 2020, when officers from the Delaware Township Police Department responded to a report of a stabbing victim at a residence on Kingwood Stockton Road. The victim, Michelle Carkhuff, 38, had been transported to a local hospital by a friend, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Petersen was arrested the following morning in Pennsylvania.
The first-degree murder verdict carries a mandatory state prison term between 30 years and life imprisonment.