buildings in Stratford, Route 9, Old Bridge
Cops: Woman had ties
to alleged strangler
Suspect and victim lived in separate
buildings in Stratford, Route 9, Old Bridge
By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer
Authorities believe the ex-boyfriend of a woman whose body was found in a wooded area behind the Stratford Apartments in Old Bridge Sunday afternoon strangled her the previous night.
However, they are still trying to figure out why the suspect would choose to kill the divorced mother and abandon her body near a muddy brook.
Saul Hernandez Herrera, 21, an unemployed landscaper, is accused of killing Irene Luengas Hernandez, 20, by strangling her and leaving her body in the woods, according to Detective Scott Crocco of the Old Bridge Township Police Department.
As of Wednesday afternoon, no motive had been determined in the case, Crocco said.
The suspect and victim, who had familial as well as social ties, were Mexican immigrants residing in two separate buildings within the Stratford Apartments, located off Route 9 north, authorities have said.
Investigators said the two had ended a dating relationship two months before the murder — which took place between 8 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday — but that they remained in touch after the break-up.
Luengas Hernandez had resided with her brother and sister-in-law, who is Herrera’s sister, in Building 27 of the red brick apartment complex.
Authorities have yet to determine if the victim met Herrera voluntarily on Saturday night, as well as where exactly she was strangled with an electrical cord or rope, Crocco said.
Investigators are also awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine if the victim was sexually assaulted before she was slain, Crocco noted.
Herrera, who resided in Building 9 of the complex, was arrested and charged with murder by Crocco and other township detectives following extensive questioning at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday. Interviews with area individuals who knew both the victim and suspect led police to believe Herrera could be a suspect, Crocco said.
Superior Court Judge Lorraine Pullen set the suspect’s bail at $500,000 due to questions about his immigration status. He remains in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick.
Herrera was arraigned on one count of murder in Superior Court in New Brunswick yesterday. His attorney, Todd Hess of the county public defender’s office, has entered a not-guilty plea.
The victim entered the United States approximately two years ago and has a 4-year-old son presently living with relatives in Mexico, authorities stated. At the time of her death, her immigration status was in question as well.
Luengas Hernandez had worked at Deep Run Cleaners on Route 9 in the township and also cleaned office buildings, authorities said.
The victim’s partially clad body was discovered at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday by three teenage boys who were walking through the woods that separate the apartments from the McDivitt Elementary School behind it.
Upon finding the body, the boys contacted police from a home located on Colonial Drive in the nearby Arbors development. When police arrived at the home, they led detectives and investigators to the body, Crocco said.
Luengas Hernandez remained unidentified for an entire day while police circulated a sketch of her throughout the area. The victim’s brother finally identified her to police late Monday night, reports state.
During an interview, the victim’s brother and sister-in-law indicated that Luengas Hernandez had been missing from the apartment since sometime Saturday night.
The prosecutor’s office commended Crocco, Lt. William Volkert and the entire township detective bureau as a whole for apprehending the suspect. Investigators Jacquelyn Molnar and Gabriella Nieves of the county prosecutor’s office and Officer Chris Coen of the county sheriff’s office were also credited for their assistance in the case.