South Jersey man pleads guilty in 2019 stabbing death of co-worker in Plainsboro
NEW BRUNSWICK – A Camden County man has pleaded guilty to the 2019 killing of a co-worker at her Plainsboro apartment while she was home during a lunch break.
Kenneth Saal, 33, of Lindenwold, pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder, a first-degree crime, burglary and stalking before Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez Jr. in the murder of Carolyn Byington. Saal is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2023, according to a court spokesperson.
He faces a 55-year state prison term as part of the plea agreement reached with Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Tzva Dolinger, Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski, Saal and his attorney.
During the plea, Saal stated that in April 2019 he copied Byington's house key while she was at work and used the key to enter her apartment on multiple days, and also planted hidden surveillance cameras to record her at her home without her knowledge, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.
He also described how he brutally killed Byington when she came home unexpectedly and found him in her home, Ciccone said.
On June 10, 2019, Byington, 26, a 2011 Ridge High School graduate, was working at Engine US in Princeton, a marketing solutions company, as a market research project manager when she went home for lunch.
But when she failed to return to work, co-workers asked police to do a wellness check. Around 5:57 p.m., Plainsboro police went to her home and found her dead in her apartment.
Authorities said she had died from numerous stab wounds and blunt-force trauma.
Previously: South Jersey man faces trial in Plainsboro co-worker's 2019 murder
Two months later in August 2019, Saal was arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
He was later indicted on murder, a first-degree crime, burglary, a second-degree crime, as well as endangering an injured victim, hindering one’s own apprehension, burglary and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, all third-degree crimes. The indictment also included charges of stalking and tampering with evidence, both fourth-degree crimes.
A police investigation determined Saal allegedly visited Byington's apartment several times before the day she was fatally stabbed.
Saal began working as a staff accountant at Engine US in July 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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.”
Saal allegedly told his boss on June 10 he was getting repair work done on his car and would be late returning to work. His boss later learned Saal had not been at an auto repair shop.
Other co-workers also reported seeing cuts on Saal’s hands on the days after Byington’s death.
Police dash cam footage also showed a vehicle matching Saal’s traveling in Plainsboro about 2 p.m. June 10, about six miles from the office where Saal and Byington worked.
Last week Saal was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, a first-degree crime, conspiracy to tamper with a witness and conspiracy to hinder his own prosecution, both second-degree crimes, for plotting a copycat murder with another inmate to create doubt in his case. Saal allegedly offered to pay the inmate $15,000.
That case was unraveled with a wiretap, according to court documents.
Saal on Wednesday also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit witness tampering in the copycat murder plot, according to the prosecutor's office.
He admitted that in an effort to derail his trial which was scheduled to begin Dec. 5, he conspired to hire a fellow inmate at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, where he has been held since his arrest, to commit a copycat murder to make it appear Byington's killer had not yet been apprehended, according to the prosecutor's office.
He also acknowledged that as an alternative, he conspired a plan to kill one of two witnesses who were scheduled to testify at trial and have their deaths staged as a suicide with a note claiming responsibility for Byington's murder, the prosecutor's office said.
"Securing justice for the victim in this case would not have been possible if not for the collective efforts of Sgt. David Abromaitis, Detective Paul Kelley of the prosecutor's office and Sgt. Timothy McMahon of the Plainsboro Police Department," Ciccone said. "We are grateful for their work and the work of other members of the various law enforcement agencies who assisted throughout the investigation of these crimes."
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Plainsboro NJ co-worker stabbing death suspect pleads guilty
