A Matawan resident has been arrested and criminally charged with killing his father in the home they shared, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced on Aug. 22
According to a press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Kenneth Knapp Jr., 31, is charged with first degree murder and second degree desecration of human remains in connection with the death of Kenneth Knapp Sr., 58.
The prosecutor’s office provided the following details: On May 1, members of the Matawan Police Department who were responding to a request for a welfare check at a residence on the 200 block of Matawan Avenue found the body of Kenneth Knapp Sr. in the basement.
Knapp’s cause and manner of death were initially listed as pending following an autopsy, but the finalized autopsy report that was issued in July revealed the cause of death was blunt-force trauma, with the manner of death being homicide, according to the press release.
An investigation involving members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Bureau and the Matawan Police Department led to Kenneth Knapp Jr. being identified as a suspect.
Knapp was taken into custody without incident on Aug. 19 at a location in the Belle Mead section of Montgomery Township, Somerset County. He was subsequently placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, pending court action, according to the press release.
The ninth annual Pound the Pavement for Purple 5K Run/2-Mile Walk, presented by the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners and the Township Committee in Neptune Township, in support of the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer research, will take place on Sept. 24 at the Headliner, 1401 Route 35, Neptune.
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and is the deadliest major cancer, with a five-year survival rate of 9%, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said, “As a co-founder of this run and seeing the severity of this cancer firsthand, it is my mission to raise awareness and funds for research to extend and improve the quality of life for those diagnosed, as well as to offer support for these patients and their families. To date, Pound the Pavement has raised nearly $200,000 for pancreatic cancer research and we could not be prouder of the work being done to support this important cause.”
Proceeds from the run/walk will support the Lustgarten Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer, as well as providing information to patients and their caregivers, according to a press release from the county.
The foundation was named in honor of Marc Lustgarten, a former Cablevision vice chairman who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in 1999.
Those interested can register at www.poundthepavementnj.org
On-site registration and pre-registration packet pick up will be held on Sept. 22 from 5-7 p.m. Race day registration will be available on Sept. 24. For more information, email [email protected] or call 732-455-2107.