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

[lexinyc2013]

Yes, hopefully they will release a motive. It was either he was stealing money at work or something else she caught him doing or an affair (which I highly doubt), drugs (which I also think there is like no chance of for Carolyn), an obsession with her (very likely, IMO) or something like he offered to help her move something heavy at home or some computer problem or something she was having at her apartment. Like someone else said, he might have seemed a friend to her and totally innocent, married with a new baby.

I thought after they made an arrest I would just say a good-bye here, but I find myself wondering so much why this creep did this and ruined so many lives.

As you said above, may we find out more in the days to come..

 

[DianeElaine]

If KS phoned his supervisor (right after he murdered CB), to say his car was being serviced, it makes me think the murder *may not* have been premeditated. I say this because he could have told his supervisor *before lunch* that he had an appointment to have his car serviced that day and he would be late (or wouldn’t return to work), giving him plenty of time to do the murder, clean up afterwards, etc.

 

[borndem]

Why would they assume their normally very quiet neighbor would be screaming from sickness? And also moving furniture while so sick? IMO it was a matter of the neighbors not wanting to get involved and/or not wanting to call the cops in case it was nothing.

Yes, agreed. I would imagine there are a couple of people in that complex who are regretting they didn't do something when they heard her screams. Such a shame all around. SMH.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

. I wonder if she suspected him after the news was out that his co-worker was murdered...
.

RSBM & BBM......yeah, as someone mentioned earlier, how did he explain the scratches & cuts on his hands to his wife?

I bet she’s been undergoing a lot of questioning by LE in the last few days.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Yes, agreed. I would imagine there are a couple of people in that complex who are regretting they didn't do something when they heard her screams. Such a shame all around. SMH.

I know! I would never forgive myself for ignoring the screams. The guilt would consume me. (I was raised Catholic so believe me, I know a thing or two about guilt!)

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

If KS phoned his supervisor (right after he murdered CB), to say his car was being serviced, it makes me think the murder *may not* have been premeditated. I say this because he could have told his supervisor *before lunch* that he had an appointment to have his car serviced that day and he would be late (or wouldn’t return to work), giving him plenty of time to do the murder, clean up afterwards, etc.

Wow, I’m on a roll this morning, three posts in a row lol!

I was wondering about this too. Did he call his supervisor at the start of lunch, during his lunch or did he wait until after he murdered her? Did he then panic at what he’d done & realize what a bloody mess his clothes were & had to clean up/change? I wonder if he sounded upset or panicky on the phone. How does someone return to work after committing such a horrific murder and act like normal?

ETA: in reply to Missymom re the HR Dept.....I bet they have been searching and scouring all records to see if there were any complaints filed by either one. So much about this is so upsetting. Who would ever think or be concerned that a coworker is going to kill u?

 

[Kittybunny]

If KS phoned his supervisor (right after he murdered CB), to say his car was being serviced, it makes me think the murder *may not* have been premeditated. I say this because he could have told his supervisor *before lunch* that he had an appointment to have his car serviced that day and he would be late (or wouldn’t return to work), giving him plenty of time to do the murder, clean up afterwards, etc.

This is a really interesting question - was it premeditated or not? Was he waiting for an opportunity even if it was? I agree he would have to have had clothes to change into, so if he did, that speaks to premeditation. But wouldn't have people notice he came back wearing different clothes? OR he changed before into something else or (others have done this) took his clothes off and showered at her place then put the same clothes back on.

Unfortunately I think we'll be waiting a bit for answers!

 

[borndem]

To add to my post...consider how guilty and paranoid he appeared to be acting before he was arrested. I'm presuming he was losing sleep at night wondering if he would be caught. I sincerely doubt he could carry himself off as an innocent in an actual court case.

bbm
I also wonder how he carried and conducted himself when he went back to work after her murder. Did he act differently? I'm thinking he did. Did it arouse suspicion? I'd say yes. SMH. I'd really like to know what his coworkers noticed, if anything. Did his not returning to work that day cause them to contact LE sooner than they normally would have? I'd say yes.
JMO.

 

[kaen]

This is a really interesting question - was it premeditated or not? Was he waiting for an opportunity even if it was? I agree he would have to have had clothes to change into, so if he did, that speaks to premeditation. But wouldn't have people notice he came back wearing different clothes? OR he changed before into something else or (others have done this) took his clothes off and showered at her place then put the same clothes back on.

Unfortunately I think we'll be waiting a bit for answers!

He called his lawyer (or a lawyer) within days in order to ascertain what was going on in this case. While we wait for definitive answers about pre-meditation, this action (while I am astounded by the foolishness to have a lawyer call LEOs) indicates that he had planned this out. He knew his co-workers and others saw the wounds on his hands which he probably did not anticipate. He was trying to figure out what other holes were in his story beyond coming back to work late. He came back to work and continued his day--he wasn't freaked out by what occurred and knew he had to be calm, cool and collected. Couple that with the query to co-workers about people getting convicted with only circumstantial evidence, and, I think he had this planned out to the T and was surprised that she was not so docile and fought back. We know she had stab wounds and blunt force trauma. I would be willing to bet (MOO) that he thought bludgeoning her would kill her but she didn't succumb so he had to get messy and stab her. (from a variety of sources previously cited)

 

[gitana1]

I would love to be a fly on the wall in the HR Department of Engine Group. Was he harassing Carolyn at work, did she report him for something or did she know something he was doing?
I don’t think she was having an affair with him not because of his looks, ( I know several attractive women who married not so great looking men) but most likely because if they worked together she most likely knew he was married and had a baby. She doesn’t strike me as someone who would have an affair with a married man. They may have been friends. She was known to be quiet and people who worked with him previously said he was quiet. He may have taken the friendship to be more than it was. Hopefully, we will find out more in the days to come.

If someone is going to be the type to have an affair with a married man, it's likely looks will be important. OR money. Power. A bad boy image of some type that they find appealing for some reason.

This guy had none of that.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-after-woman-murdered-during-lunch-break/amp/

And while I don't know much about the victim I don't get the sense she was the type to date a newly married man and father either. Just a gut feeling.

 

[kaen]

I hadn't read this article before (New Details As Co-Worker Charged In NJ Woman's Lunch-Break Murder). It is interesting in terms of a compilation of details. He texted his supervisor during his break. He appeared to be withholding information as well.

ETA: From the perspective of motive, I don't see an affair, as nothing has been even hinted at to lead us to speculate that there was a connection between the two of them.

From the Patch.com:

"Police also claimed that Saal was actually on an extended lunch break, although he later was unable or unwilling to tell investigators how he spent his lunch break that day, authorities said in the complaint.

A text message he sent to his supervisor stating that he would be late returning to work because he was getting work done on his car later turned out to be a lie, authorities said.

While Byington was at her apartment having lunch, detectives said she was stabbed several times and suffered blunt force trauma, according to court documents. Police didn't say what object was used to attack Byington.

Co-workers said they saw cuts on Saal's knuckles and hands in the days immediately after Byington died, according to authorities. His demeanor had also changed, and he asked a co-worker if he could be arrested on circumstantial evidence alone."

 

[gitana1]

Yes, agreed. I would imagine there are a couple of people in that complex who are regretting they didn't do something when they heard her screams. Such a shame all around. SMH.

Yes. But it was faint screams. Not muffled. Faint. Which could possibly mean they didn't totallrealize where it was coming from until after, in retrospect?

If KS phoned his supervisor (right after he murdered CB), to say his car was being serviced, it makes me think the murder *may not* have been premeditated. I say this because he could have told his supervisor *before lunch* that he had an appointment to have his car serviced that day and he would be late (or wouldn’t return to work), giving him plenty of time to do the murder, clean up afterwards, etc.

Yes except murderers aren't typically the brightest. Look at the Jennifer Farber Dulos and Kelsey Berreth cases.

I don't think they anticipate what things will be like when they're actually killing someone.

But if it wasn't really premeditated it could be that he obsessively thought he would rape her or maybe "confront" her about their "obvious" attraction to one another. But she fought back. I don't know.

I'm trying to get into the mindset of a freak like that. If they did intend to assault and murder her, how does that internal dialogue go? "I'll show this woman who's boss!" Or is it just a super strong feeling of rage or obsession mixed with single-minded determination? What's in their heads as they're driving to kill someone?

It's bizarre.

While I think it's most likely a one-sided attraction thing the timing and location mpldoes seem impulsive or opportunistic. Which lends itself more to desperation about something or sudden fury. And that could be simply work-related or, I don't know.

 

[bears10]

If someone is going to be the type to have an affair with a married man, it's likely looks will be important. OR money. Power. A bad boy image of some type that they find appealing for some reason.

This guy had none of that.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-after-woman-murdered-during-lunch-break/amp/

And while I don't know much about the victim I don't get the sense she was the type to date a newly married man and father either. Just a gut feeling.

That’s a very generalized statement about people in affairs. I promise you, your statement is not true for a lot of women and men.

 

[gitana1]

That’s a very generalized statement about people in affairs. I promise you, your statement is not true for a lot of women and men.

Yes, you're very right. It was generalized and I should qualify that.

Sometimes people fall in love over time at work, let's say, despite being married or whatever. They really get to know each other. They become fond of one another and close. They become attracted due to things other than looks. They fall in love. It happens. Even sometimes to otherwise good people. There can be various reasons. People are human and circumstances vary .

I think my feeling is that he's an unattractive human in various ways. Of course his arrest makes me biased that he has personality flaws. And I read the FB posts from supposed ex co-workers which adds to that bias.

I also don't think they even worked closely together. I don't see this as the type of guy who women might fall for.

 

[zecats]

Wow, I’m on a roll this morning, three posts in a row lol!

I was wondering about this too. Did he call his supervisor at the start of lunch, during his lunch or did he wait until after he murdered her? Did he then panic at what he’d done & realize what a bloody mess his clothes were & had to clean up/change? I wonder if he sounded upset or panicky on the phone. How does someone return to work after committing such a horrific murder and act like normal?

ETA: in reply to Missymom re the HR Dept.....I bet they have been searching and scouring all records to see if there were any complaints filed by either one. So much about this is so upsetting. Who would ever think or be concerned that a coworker is going to kill u?

Keep in mind that he was also charged with possession of a weapon. To me, this could imply he had the intention to at least be prepared to use it if needed. Whatever he had in mind by following her and entering the apartment after she did, things didn't go his way. Even if he only wanted to talk, he still seemed to be prepared with what? A knife? A hammer? She was reportedly stabbed and bludgeoned.

Another point, did he carry a weapon or weapons around with him waiting for a chance to follow her home? How would he know she was planning to go home for lunch that Monday, if it was something she did not do frequently. Was he involved somehow in getting her to go home for lunch?

For my part, I'm thinking he put a little bit of planning into this act. IMO

 

[human]

Why would he go on lunch break to murder her?

It was said that she did not go home often so that is not a pattern he would follow. What inspired him that day?

Wouldn’t it be easier to kill her later in the evening? Or did he think daytime would mean less people home to run into?

The time and day is of interest to me

 

[DMA19]

I'm not going to speculate on the potential affair. As other's have said different strokes for different folks so it is possible they were involved intimately but that will come out sooner or later. Firstly I want to say innocent until proven guilty though I feel like LE took their time with this to make sure they had the right person and enough evidence to convict. He was very prepared for this and when he asked about being convicted he asked about circumstantial evidence meaning in his mind he covered his bases. He didn't freak out and actually returned to work and maintained his normal routine. He had to have planned things out if that's the case because as others have mentioned he must have had a change of clothes. Carolyn wasn't found until 5:30pm aka after work which means people wouldn't have been looking for suspicious activity or scars, this is probably why nobody noticed his hands until days later when they would be on high alert.

 

[scdiv]

Why would he go on lunch break to murder her?

It was said that she did not go home often so that is not a pattern he would follow. What inspired him that day?

Wouldn’t it be easier to kill her later in the evening? Or did he think daytime would mean less people home to run into?

The time and day is of interest to me

That's a good point. Also that it would immediately raise flags when she didn't return to work from lunch. If he did this on the weekend or something, it might take a few days before it raised alarms that no one had heard from her or before her coworkers would think to call police for a wellness/welfare check.

Basically I just think he's an idiot and who knows his thought process or what led to this. I hope more insight comes out.

 

[zecats]

That's a good point. Also that it would immediately raise flags when she didn't return to work from lunch. If he did this on the weekend or something, it might take a few days before it raised alarms that no one had heard from her or before her coworkers would think to call police for a wellness/welfare check.

Basically I just think he's an idiot and who knows his thought process or what led to this. I hope more insight comes out.

I don't believe the weekends would have been a good time for him to carry any of this out. She lived fairly close to Princeton, where they both worked. However, Lindenwold, where he lives is a good hour away from this area (Princeton/Plainsboro). Also, he is married with a one-year old daughter, so betting that took up a lot of his weekend and evening time. JMO

 

[DAB]

I don't believe the weekends would have been a good time for him to carry any of this out. She lived fairly close to Princeton, where they both worked. However, Lindenwold, where he lives is a good hour away from this area (Princeton/Plainsboro). Also, he is married with a one-year old daughter, so betting that took up a lot of his weekend and evening time. JMO

There’s a lot more activity in the complex on weekends, pool, etc so more likely he would have been spotted.