Man charged with killing parents in Hillsborough double homicide after police standoff
HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – A man recovering in a hospital has been charged with murdering his parents inside their Somerset County home following a violent confrontation with police last fall.
On Thursday, September 25, around 4:12 p.m., Hillsborough Township Police responded to a welfare check request at a residence on Cornell Trail. Officers were initially unable to make contact, but later gained entry just after 6:20 p.m. While checking the second floor, officers encountered a man armed with a weapon. Two officers opened fire, striking the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Patrick J. Lin.
Lin was rushed to a nearby trauma center in critical condition. Inside the home, officers discovered the bodies of his parents, David Lin and Jean Lin, both 69, each found in separate bedrooms. Medical personnel pronounced them dead at the scene.
Autopsies later confirmed both victims died from blunt force trauma to the head. Their deaths were ruled homicides.
Investigators from multiple agencies, including the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, launched a joint investigation. Authorities say the incident was isolated and poses no ongoing threat to the public.
After several months of investigation, prosecutors announced that on Friday, January 16, Patrick Lin was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, and two counts of third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Lin remains hospitalized in stable condition under guard by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. He will be transferred to Somerset County Jail following his release and is expected to appear in court at a later date.
The police shooting involving Lin is being reviewed by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, in accordance with state protocol for officer-involved shootings.
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact investigators through the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office or Hillsborough Police Department.
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Key Points
- Hillsborough man charged with murdering both parents during September 2025 incident
- Patrick Lin was shot by police after being found armed inside family home
- Victims died of blunt force head trauma; case ruled an isolated domestic homicide
