Newton man gets 60 years for 'senseless' murder on former senator's estate

A 33-year-old Newton man has been sentenced to 60 years in state prison for murdering a 38-year-old woman on a Delaware Township estate owned by former Senator Robert Torricelli in 2020.

Brandon E. Petersen must serve 51 years before becoming eligible for parole under the sentence handed down Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski in Flemington.

Petersen was found guilty in May of murdering Michelle Carkhuff, also of Newton, on Dec. 6, 2020, following an almost three-week trial before Borkowski.

Petersen also was found guilty of 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.

“This is an unspeakably tragic case and senseless murder, which has left Michelle Carkuff’s family without what should have been years to build memories for a lifetime," said Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renee Robeson. "Her family consistently attended every day of the trial and shared with the court the depth of the loss theysuffered.”

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Tangerla Thomas also thanked the family for their courage and strength through the legal process that resulted in Petersen's sentence.

Around 9:13 p.m. Dec. 6, 2020, the Delaware Township Police Department responded to the report of a stabbing at Torricelli's property on Kingwood Stockton Road. When they arrived, officers learned that friends of Carkhuff, 38, had taken her to a hospital in Mercer County where she died from her injuries.

Police learned the suspect, later identified as Petersen, had fled the home before police arrived.

Court papers show Carkhuff died after she was stabbed in the neck with a large kitchen knife while cooking with Petersen.

Two others were in the residence during the stabbing, including an unnamed witness who took Carkhuff to the hospital, according to a police affidavit.

A witness reported Carkhuff and Petersen were hanging out at the residence and were cutting vegetables for stew when Petersen grabbed a large knife and stabbed Carkhuff in the side of the neck, court papers say.

Police found blood stains throughout the kitchen and in a bedroom bathroom. A kitchen knife with stains also was recovered, according to court documents.

In the investigation, police learned that a pickup truck registered to the estate was missing. The vehicle was later found on Route 29 in Kingwood, a few miles from the estate, court papers say.

About 8:10 a.m. the following day, Newton police received a phone call from Petersen's girlfriend who said he had called her a few minutes earlier asking to be picked up in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, according to court documents.

Authorities traced the call to Petersen’s location, and Pennsylvania State Police took him into custody about 8:50 a.m., according to the affidavit. Petersen had what appeared to be blood on his clothing and reportedly told police he was at the scene when Carkhuff was injured, the criminal report says.

There are two single-family homes on Torricelli’s property at 127 Kingwood-Stockton Road north of the village of Rosemont.

Torricelli owns the 12.94-acre property valued at $1.4 million, according to state records.

Torricelli served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th District from 1983 to 1997 and as a U.S. senator from New Jersey from 1997 to 2003. He was also an assistant to former Gov. Brendan Byrne.

Torricelli moved to Hunterdon County after he withdrew from his 2002 reelection effort because of ethics complaints that he had improperly received gifts from a campaign donor. Torricelli's withdrawal from the race paved the way for the election of Frank Lautenberg, who previously had retired from the Senate.

In August 2019, Petersen was released from Southern State Correctional Facility in Cumberland County. He had previously served time on robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats and weapons charges for an April 30, 2005, crime in Sussex County, according to the state Department of Corrections.

When Petersen was 18, he admitted to repeatedly stabbing a 57-year-old neighbor in her face, neck and arm while he stole her purse in her driveway. He also threatened to kill the woman and threw a bag containing her purse and his blood-stained clothing into Lake Lenape in Andover Township, according to the New Jersey Herald.

He was prosecuted as an adult for the crime that occurred when he was 15 years old.

He pleaded guilty to armed robbery, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a knife for unlawful use against a person and hindering apprehension. As part of the plea, he was subject to a 13-year prison term of which he had to serve 11 years before becoming eligible for parole, according to the Herald.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ man sentenced for murder on former Sen. Robert Torricelli's estate