GUILTY NJ - Carolyn Byington, 26, killed inside her home, Plainsboro, 10 June 2019 *Arrest* #2

[Seattle1]

South Jersey man faces trial in Plainsboro co-worker's 2019 murder

More than three years after Carolyn Byington was found dead inside her Plainsboro apartment, her co-worker is set to stand trial.

www.mycentraljersey.com

9/14/22

More than three years after Carolyn Byington was found dead inside her Plainsboro apartment while on a lunch break from work, the man accused of her killing is set to stand trial.

[..]

Saal and Byington were co-workers at a Princeton area company. Byington was a 2011 graduate of Ridge High School who earned her bachelor’s degree at Lafayette College where she studied international affairs, anthropology and sociology.

On June 10, 2019, Byington, 26, was found dead inside her apartment after she had gone home on her lunch break. She died from numerous stabbings and blunt-force trauma, authorities said.

[..]

A police investigation determined Saal allegedly visited Byington's apartment several times before the day she was fatally stabbed.

[..]

Co-workers reported Saal’s demeanor changed after Byington’s death. He allegedly lied about where he was at the time Byington was on her lunch break, and he allegedly asked a co-worker if he could be arrested based on “circumstantial evidence.”

[...]

Police dash cam footage allegedly showed a vehicle matching Saal’s traveling in Plainsboro around 2 p.m. June 10, about 6 miles from the office where Saal and Byington worked.

[..]

In April, the Plainsboro Township Committee adopted an ordinance named for Byington requiring apartment managers to change door locks once a domestic violence victim obtains a restraining order against the assailant.

The ordinance sets fines for non-compliance of up to $1,000 for the first offense, $1,500 for the second offense and $2,000 for the third offense.

 

[PrairieWind]

NJ had a COVID State of Emergency for more than a year. There were some Zoom trials but Court activities were severely impacted and some parties did not want a video trial.

Covid restrictions have been a disaster for courts and justice. They ended here over a year ago but it will take years to get back to normal. And the damage that was done in some cases will never be undone.

 

[Seattle1]

NJ had a COVID State of Emergency for more than a year. There were some Zoom trials but Court activities were severely impacted and some parties did not want a video trial.

Covid restrictions have been a disaster for courts and justice. They ended here over a year ago but it will take years to get back to normal. And the damage that was done in some cases will never be undone.

While I'm aware that Federal Rules of Civil Procedure adopted emergency admin orders authorizing videoconferencing and giving the Court authority to order virtual trials, even over the objection of counsel, I'm not actually aware of one criminal JURY trial conducted over Zoom. Did OP have a different experience and if so, I'm curious in what State? Thanks.

Trial by Zoom: virtual trials in the time of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact continues to send ripples into an ever-evolving court system as the quarantines and lockdowns endure. The early days of the pandemic halted hearings and stayed cases, but after almost a year of at-home practice, many litigators are facing the reality of conducting...

us.eversheds-sutherland.com

 

[PrairieWind]

While I'm aware that Federal Rules of Civil Procedure adopted emergency admin orders authorizing videoconferencing and giving the Court authority to order virtual trials, even over the objection of counsel, I'm not actually aware of one criminal JURY trial conducted over Zoom. Did OP have a different experience and if so, I'm curious in what State? Thanks.

Trial by Zoom: virtual trials in the time of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact continues to send ripples into an ever-evolving court system as the quarantines and lockdowns endure. The early days of the pandemic halted hearings and stayed cases, but after almost a year of at-home practice, many litigators are facing the reality of conducting...

us.eversheds-sutherland.com

I know of no video jury trials, federal or state. I did several video bench trials. but in person trials should have been restarted far far sooner.

 

[TDoc72]

Finally! Quasi-local to me so I’m hoping to attend a day or two, if I can figure out the logistics. I’ve watched plenty, but have never been in real life.

 

[MissyMom]

I was just coming here to post the article. Finally an update after three years.

 

[TruthIsStranger]

I am so ready to get the details regarding the odd circumstances of this terrible crime.

 

[UserOne]

N.J. man charged with murdering co-worker tried to plot copycat killing, authorities say

Kenneth Saal, 30, formerly of Lindenwold, offered another man cash to commit the killing to cast doubt on the murder charge he faces, authorities said.

www.nj.com

<modsnip: Posting as an insider without verification>

 

[Seattle1]

N.J. man charged with murdering co-worker tried to plot copycat killing, authorities say

Kenneth Saal, 30, formerly of Lindenwold, offered another man cash to commit the killing to cast doubt on the murder charge he faces, authorities said.

www.nj.com

<modsnip: Posting as an insider without verification>

Welcome to WS @UserOne!

The dude's delusional as heck -- should have taken the 30 yr deal! MOO

From the link:

Prosecutors on Oct. 13 received a letter alleging that Saal was planning to “commit a copycat murder to create doubt about his guilt,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

A prosecutor’s detective investigated and determined that Saal had solicited a fellow inmate he believed was being released from jail to commit a murder that would exonerate Saal.

The prosecutor’s office alleges that Saal was willing to pay the inmate $15,000 to commit the murder.

Saal was charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree conspiracy to tamper with a witness, and second-degree conspiracy to hinder his own prosecution. Saal is scheduled to appear in court on the new charges on Friday, according to his attorney, Brian J. Neary, of Hackensack.

 

[Kittybunny]

N.J. man charged with murdering co-worker tried to plot copycat killing, authorities say

Kenneth Saal, 30, formerly of Lindenwold, offered another man cash to commit the killing to cast doubt on the murder charge he faces, authorities said.

www.nj.com

<modsnip: Posting as an insider without verification>

Wow! This guy is a piece of work!

I wonder if people in his life did not notice he was kind of off, to put it mildly? I mean, it was his fellow coworkers who noted he was acting very oddly after the murder, but he doesn't seem to have any sort of sense of reality about getting caught. He is really quite brazen.

 

[realanastasia]

N.J. man charged with murdering co-worker tried to plot copycat killing, authorities say

Kenneth Saal, 30, formerly of Lindenwold, offered another man cash to commit the killing to cast doubt on the murder charge he faces, authorities said.

www.nj.com

<modsnip: Posting as an insider without verification>

Welcome to Websleuths! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this case, but wanted to mention that the Terms of Service here are quite strict; any claims you make have to be based on facts reported in mainstream media sources unless you are approved to post as a Verified Insider (folks who have some real-world connection to the people involved). Posts without sources can be (and often are) removed by the moderation team here. Just didn’t want you to be caught off-guard if your post is removed due to lack of sourcing—you can read more about becoming a VI here:

Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

*PLEASE NOTE THE NEW EMAIL ADDRESS FOR VERIFICATION IS [email protected]* If you would like to add yourself as an expert in a certain field or as an insider to a case, please send an email to [email protected] Please note this is a new email address. If you do not wish to be identified as...

www.websleuths.com

 

[acutename]

N.J. man charged with murdering co-worker tried to plot copycat killing, authorities say

Kenneth Saal, 30, formerly of Lindenwold, offered another man cash to commit the killing to cast doubt on the murder charge he faces, authorities said.

www.nj.com

<modsnip: Posting as an insider without verification>

read this article today.... completely devoid of respect for life... just kill some one else to confuse the prosecution of his existing case. poor CB.

 

[duckgababool]

Holy moly- there's even more coming out today! Along with a copycat murder of a young woman, he also wanted the lead detective in his case killed: N.J. man charged in co-worker’s death tried to have detective killed, cops say

From the link:

"After receiving the letter about Saal from the jail, the prosecutor’s office on Monday obtained a judge’s approval to wiretap Saal’s conversations and were able to record him talking about Byington’s killing, according to the affidavit.

“After reviewing the crime scene and autopsy photos, Saal explained how to stage a copycat murder and crime scene so that it appears to be done by Carolyn Byington’s killers,” the affidavit states.

Saal said “the weapon should be a screwdriver or scissors, and that the victim’s neck would have to be severely damaged,” according to the affidavit.

“Saal ordered that the victim should be a woman in her late 20s or early 30s, white, and somewhat attractive, so that it would be the same type of victim as in his case,” the affidavit states.

The affidavit alleges Saal told the inmate to turn off his cellphone to avoid detection, and to bring bleach to the crime scene.

A second option Saal discussed involved killing one of two “initial persons of interest and staging the crime scene to look like a suicide,” the affidavit states.

A court-ordered search of Saal’s cell on Tuesday turned up letters Saal drafted in “furtherance of the conspiracy to murder another victim,” the affidavit states. “He also crafted a suicide-note confession to be left at the scene by the killer,” the affidavit states.

“In addition, (Saal) offered the option of murdering one of the lead detectives on the homicide, as that would obstruct his eventual trial,” the affidavit states."

 

[UserOne]

Holy moly- there's even more coming out today! Along with a copycat murder of a young woman, he also wanted the lead detective in his case killed: N.J. man charged in co-worker’s death tried to have detective killed, cops say

From the link:

"After receiving the letter about Saal from the jail, the prosecutor’s office on Monday obtained a judge’s approval to wiretap Saal’s conversations and were able to record him talking about Byington’s killing, according to the affidavit.

“After reviewing the crime scene and autopsy photos, Saal explained how to stage a copycat murder and crime scene so that it appears to be done by Carolyn Byington’s killers,” the affidavit states.

Saal said “the weapon should be a screwdriver or scissors, and that the victim’s neck would have to be severely damaged,” according to the affidavit.

“Saal ordered that the victim should be a woman in her late 20s or early 30s, white, and somewhat attractive, so that it would be the same type of victim as in his case,” the affidavit states.

The affidavit alleges Saal told the inmate to turn off his cellphone to avoid detection, and to bring bleach to the crime scene.

A second option Saal discussed involved killing one of two “initial persons of interest and staging the crime scene to look like a suicide,” the affidavit states.

A court-ordered search of Saal’s cell on Tuesday turned up letters Saal drafted in “furtherance of the conspiracy to murder another victim,” the affidavit states. “He also crafted a suicide-note confession to be left at the scene by the killer,” the affidavit states.

“In addition, (Saal) offered the option of murdering one of the lead detectives on the homicide, as that would obstruct his eventual trial,” the affidavit states."

There’s more a lot is redacted. Inside knowledge of case

 

[realanastasia]

Holy moly- there's even more coming out today! Along with a copycat murder of a young woman, he also wanted the lead detective in his case killed: N.J. man charged in co-worker’s death tried to have detective killed, cops say

From the link:

"After receiving the letter about Saal from the jail, the prosecutor’s office on Monday obtained a judge’s approval to wiretap Saal’s conversations and were able to record him talking about Byington’s killing, according to the affidavit.

“After reviewing the crime scene and autopsy photos, Saal explained how to stage a copycat murder and crime scene so that it appears to be done by Carolyn Byington’s killers,” the affidavit states.

Saal said “the weapon should be a screwdriver or scissors, and that the victim’s neck would have to be severely damaged,” according to the affidavit.

“Saal ordered that the victim should be a woman in her late 20s or early 30s, white, and somewhat attractive, so that it would be the same type of victim as in his case,” the affidavit states.

The affidavit alleges Saal told the inmate to turn off his cellphone to avoid detection, and to bring bleach to the crime scene.

A second option Saal discussed involved killing one of two “initial persons of interest and staging the crime scene to look like a suicide,” the affidavit states.

A court-ordered search of Saal’s cell on Tuesday turned up letters Saal drafted in “furtherance of the conspiracy to murder another victim,” the affidavit states. “He also crafted a suicide-note confession to be left at the scene by the killer,” the affidavit states.

“In addition, (Saal) offered the option of murdering one of the lead detectives on the homicide, as that would obstruct his eventual trial,” the affidavit states."

Well, by virtue of the affidavit calling Saal's intended crime a "copycat" version of the murder he was already accused of, I guess we know how vicious the attack on poor CB was. Deliberately endeavoring to kill a person just so his own trial would be delayed demonstrates that Saal is a) one of those folks who thinks they're smarter than everyone else and b) remorseless. I would add other adjectives to this list, too--but those would violate TOS

 

[Seattle1]

Holy moly- there's even more coming out today! Along with a copycat murder of a young woman, he also wanted the lead detective in his case killed: N.J. man charged in co-worker’s death tried to have detective killed, cops say

From the link:

"After receiving the letter about Saal from the jail, the prosecutor’s office on Monday obtained a judge’s approval to wiretap Saal’s conversations and were able to record him talking about Byington’s killing, according to the affidavit.

“After reviewing the crime scene and autopsy photos, Saal explained how to stage a copycat murder and crime scene so that it appears to be done by Carolyn Byington’s killers,” the affidavit states.

Saal said “the weapon should be a screwdriver or scissors, and that the victim’s neck would have to be severely damaged,” according to the affidavit.

“Saal ordered that the victim should be a woman in her late 20s or early 30s, white, and somewhat attractive, so that it would be the same type of victim as in his case,” the affidavit states.

The affidavit alleges Saal told the inmate to turn off his cellphone to avoid detection, and to bring bleach to the crime scene.

A second option Saal discussed involved killing one of two “initial persons of interest and staging the crime scene to look like a suicide,” the affidavit states.

A court-ordered search of Saal’s cell on Tuesday turned up letters Saal drafted in “furtherance of the conspiracy to murder another victim,” the affidavit states. “He also crafted a suicide-note confession to be left at the scene by the killer,” the affidavit states.

“In addition, (Saal) offered the option of murdering one of the lead detectives on the homicide, as that would obstruct his eventual trial,” the affidavit states."

I think we have a true sociopath here. He's never believed he could be convicted and obviously gave no serious thought to the deal offered to him. Most likely why he hired a new lawyer soon after the plea offer by the State. And now we learn he had a backup plan all along! No mercy for this sod whatsoever. Sad for his family that probably leveraged all they have for his defense. MOO

 

[UserOne]

N.J. man admits he murdered co-worker in her apartment when she went home for lunch

Kenneth Saal, 33, formerly of Lindenwold, pleaded guilty in Middlesex County on Wednesday to the murder of Carolyn Byington, 26, of Plainsboro.

www.nj.com

More details to follow

 

[Gardenista]

N.J. man admits he murdered co-worker in her apartment when she went home for lunch

Kenneth Saal, 33, formerly of Lindenwold, pleaded guilty in Middlesex County on Wednesday to the murder of Carolyn Byington, 26, of Plainsboro.

www.nj.com

More details to follow

55 years isn't long enough especially if he will be eligible for parole.

 

[realanastasia]

Good lord, this lunatic secretly stole and copied her house key and planted cameras in her apartment--so he was actually violating her long before she actually caught him skulking around her residence on June 10th.

"While in court, Saal said that in April 2019 he had copied Byington's house key while she was at work and used the key to enter her apartment on multiple days in the following months.

He had also planted hidden cameras to record the victim in her home and spy on her until she unexpectedly found Saal, then-married and a new father, in her apartment on June 10, 2019.

Caught on the victim's lunch break, Saal brutally killed her and left her lifeless body for police to eventually find.

Officers did a well-being check that evening at the request of Byington's other coworkers at the Princeton firm, where Saal was an accountant."



Read More: NJ 'lunch break' killer admits to stalking, murder, cover plot | Plainsboro, NJ 'lunch break' killer admits to stalking, murder, cover-up plot

 

[curiousincident]

I’ve been following this case since the beginning and honestly can’t believe the revelations on the newest article.

I don’t feel 55 years is justice considering how he stalked her, murdered her, and then had the audacity to try to conspire to murder more people afterwards.

I’m curious as to whether the company they worked for will soon have a lawsuit on their hands considering what happened.