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

[MissyMom]

If someone tried to enter an apartment without notice, that person if known should be looked into and possibly fired.

As far as firing everyone, probably not possible IF they are employees and not just a contracted service or possibly even not vetted for criminal records, if they are legal, etc. The complex could though change some practices like who can enter, that someone when first entering needs to be with them or let them in, like management only, etc. and show the tenants things are being taken seriously.

It does not even sound like they are willing to install cameras after this, even in the complex. I wonder why.

Jmo though.

When I found the apartment below me unlocked and reported it to management, I was told that only maintenance has a key to let a contractor in a vacant apartment and when the contractors were finished they were to notify maintenance to lock the apartment back up. The problem is the contractors don’t always notify maintenance when finished in an apartment.

 

[LVatty10]

Really? And fire a bunch of people who are innocent? Even if the perp is a maintenance worker, that doesn't mean they ALL are guilty.

Yep. It’s unfair. But that’s what usually happens. Or if management owns another property, switch crews. It sucks but safety is everything when you manage properties. Of course, I would install cameras and pay for 24 hr security guard first. This place has done zero of those things

ETA: I would hate to have to do it bc you are right. Innocent people would be losing their jobs. But it happens in at will states everyday, for so much less. I wouldn’t be surprised if the management itself is fired.
Even in other industries this happens. Friends who were in house counsel at a company. The company’s outside counsel (so the lawyers hired by the guys I know) lost a big case. The entire legal department was “let go.” They didn’t do anything wrong. But **** happens. People need someone to blame and the optics are important. Maybe LE has assured management that this wasn’t a maintenance worker or contractor and that they have their eye on a suspect? That would explain their lack of taking any action.

 

[DMA19]

I also live in Hunters Glen and am glad that I found this community and thread. This has literally hit close to home in so many different ways and it is mind boggling that there hasn't been any new information on this at all. Some of the other local members such as Missy Mom and DAB have done a great job of sharing what we know locally and how terrified we are as a community but one thing I didn't see mentioned is that our Leasing office didn't alert us or send any correspondence for almost 4 days. The murder took place Monday and they sent us an email on Thursday at 6pm that was extremely vague. I had to look up local news to see what actually happened which is unacceptable to me. I'm not as concerned for my own safety but my girlfriend has a key to my apartment and regularly stops by my apartment when I'm not there during the day. Another thing I'd like to add is that I live in a first floor apartment and you can hear when someone is walking up and down the steps to their apartment very clearly. The walls are also so paper thin that I can hear my upstairs neighbors phone alarm go off every morning at 6 am and hear the neighborhood kids playing outside my window every day as well so if there was a murder going on above me or beside me you would clearly be able to hear what was happening. So if people were home they should know a lot more than what they are saying IMHO.

 

[ilovechili]

NJ is an at will state.

My point is, why would you want to see a bunch of innocent people fired from their jobs for no fault of their own? That’s craziness to me to even suggest taking away people’s livelihoods due to circumstances beyond their control, no matter how unfortunate the circumstance.

I get that and I think my post said as much. It also said that I think the management/complex could do more and that anyone who tried to enter a door without notice or then claiming they were at the wrong apartment needs to be looked into, especially after what happened. I am also going by many former posts of things that go on with regard to workers, etc. The residents have a right to feel secure as well.

I never asked for a bunch of people to get fired. Not once.

Things however, like cameras, who has access to apartments and what and how, are all things I would expect to be addressed, especially after a murder; if I rented there after this occurred, I would expect management to take it that seriously and it sounds like that is not even being looked at nor changed.

And to reiterate a part of my post, if a certain employee or maintenance worker tried to enter the wrong apartment after such an occurrence as a murder, then they should be talked to and looked at and it definitely should be taken seriously.

Jmo.

 

[LVatty10]

I also live in Hunters Glen and am glad that I found this community and thread. This has literally hit close to home in so many different ways and it is mind boggling that there hasn't been any new information on this at all. Some of the other local members such as Missy Mom and DAB have done a great job of sharing what we know locally and how terrified we are as a community but one thing I didn't see mentioned is that our Leasing office didn't alert us or send any correspondence for almost 4 days. The murder took place Monday and they sent us an email on Thursday at 6pm that was extremely vague. I had to look up local news to see what actually happened which is unacceptable to me. I'm not as concerned for my own safety but my girlfriend has a key to my apartment and regularly stops by my apartment when I'm not there during the day. Another thing I'd like to add is that I live in a first floor apartment and you can hear when someone is walking up and down the steps to their apartment very clearly. The walls are also so paper thin that I can hear my upstairs neighbors phone alarm go off every morning at 6 am and hear the neighborhood kids playing outside my window every day as well so if there was a murder going on above me or beside me you would clearly be able to hear what was happening. So if people were home they should know a lot more than what they are saying IMHO.

Welcome! Glad you are here! That’s very helpful especially regarding the noise level inside the apartments. I have some thoughts but would be against TOS to post.

As a lawyer, the lack of a prompt and clear notice from management to all residents is DISTURBING. They should also have held a townhall or meeting for residents with Management and if possible LE. Maybe they didn’t want to put details of what occurred in writing as the letter would be evidence in a lawsuit if CB’s family pursues a civil case against the complex. But talk to the residents in person. A townhall (with sign in sheet) would also have given LE a chance to scan the room, observe everyone, and take note of any residents who did not attend. Don’t see how that could hurt.

 

[bears10]

I get that and I think my post said as much. It also said that I think the management/complex could do more and that anyone who tried to enter a door without notice or then claiming they were at the wrong apartment needs to be looked into, especially after what happened. I am also going by many former posts of things that go on with regard to workers, etc. The residents have a right to feel secure as well.

I never asked for a bunch of people to get fired. Not once.

Things however, like cameras, who has access to apartments and what and how, are all things I would expect to be addressed, especially after a murder; if I rented there after this occurred, I would expect management to take it that seriously and it sounds like that is not even being looked at nor changed.

And to reiterate a part of my post, if a certain employee or maintenance worker tried to enter the wrong apartment after such an occurrence as a murder, then they should be talked to and looked at and it definitely should be taken seriously.

Jmo.

The person I was responding to in my initial post had literally said to fire all of the maintenance workers. Which is where my posts are coming from. Of course all of the maintenance workers and contractors who were on site in the recent weeks should be spoken to.

 

[LVatty10]

The person I was responding to in my initial post had literally said to fire all of the maintenance workers. Which is where my posts are coming from. Of course all of the maintenance workers and contractors who were on site in the recent weeks should be spoken to.

That was me! I responded to you.

And I wouldn’t be surprised if management and everyone in the chain of command isn’t replaced, fired, however you want to say it. At a minimum, communication with residents lacks a lot to be desired.

 

[ilovechili]

Yep. It’s unfair. But that’s what usually happens. Or if management owns another property, switch crews. It sucks but safety is everything when you manage properties. Of course, I would install cameras and pay for 24 hr security guard first. This place has done zero of those things

ETA: I would hate to have to do it bc you are right. Innocent people would be losing their jobs. But it happens in at will states everyday, for so much less. I wouldn’t be surprised if the management itself is fired.
Even in other industries this happens. Friends who were in house counsel at a company. The company’s outside counsel (so the lawyers hired by the guys I know) lost a big case. The entire legal department was “let go.” They didn’t do anything wrong. But **** happens. People need someone to blame and the optics are important. Maybe LE has assured management that this wasn’t a maintenance worker or contractor and that they have their eye on a suspect? That would explain their lack of taking any action.

Exactly. If this management company does not care about the residents' safety after something like this, then residents should know it. If the corporation cares, they should maybe consider firing the property management company. That also goes down to contractors if they are contracted and are not employees. If I had a problem with my plumber or his apprentice, well I guess I would consider finding a new plumber.

There are more than a few posts here where it sounds like in a huge complex, after a murder, numerous residents are probably concerned and did not even hear about it from management and it seems nothing is being done safety wise to address those concerns. Regardless of who did this, cameras would be a benefit. Regardless of who did this, ensuring no apartments can be accessed by more than a few or ensuring they are locked afterwards would be a benefit. It seems they are unwilling to do any of these things.

It may be that it was a personal acquaintance of the victim but regardless, no one knows that and concerns by residents seem to be ignored.

Jmo based on info provided by people familiar with the area and complex.

 

[ilovechili]

The person I was responding to in my initial post had literally said to fire all of the maintenance workers. Which is where my posts are coming from. Of course all of the maintenance workers and contractors who were on site in the recent weeks should be spoken to.

Understood but you replied to my response to your post and I did not entirely agree with the original poster nor with you, I was somewhere in between and your response to me made it sound as if I said things I did not in part of an overall discussion on it.

I just wanted to clarify. I do agree that all employees should not be just fired in a blanket manner for instance.

Jmo.

 

[ilovechili]

I also live in Hunters Glen and am glad that I found this community and thread. This has literally hit close to home in so many different ways and it is mind boggling that there hasn't been any new information on this at all. Some of the other local members such as Missy Mom and DAB have done a great job of sharing what we know locally and how terrified we are as a community but one thing I didn't see mentioned is that our Leasing office didn't alert us or send any correspondence for almost 4 days. The murder took place Monday and they sent us an email on Thursday at 6pm that was extremely vague. I had to look up local news to see what actually happened which is unacceptable to me. I'm not as concerned for my own safety but my girlfriend has a key to my apartment and regularly stops by my apartment when I'm not there during the day. Another thing I'd like to add is that I live in a first floor apartment and you can hear when someone is walking up and down the steps to their apartment very clearly. The walls are also so paper thin that I can hear my upstairs neighbors phone alarm go off every morning at 6 am and hear the neighborhood kids playing outside my window every day as well so if there was a murder going on above me or beside me you would clearly be able to hear what was happening. So if people were home they should know a lot more than what they are saying IMHO.

Having people here who live there or in the area is helpful. It is also eye opening. It shows what has been discussed much that anyone home in her building almost should have known something really awful was occurring.

Four days and you had to look it up to find out? That alone says a lot.

Thank you for the insight, I hope you continue to provide it.

Jmo.

 

[DMA19]

Welcome! Glad you are here! That’s very helpful especially regarding the noise level inside the apartments. I have some thoughts but would be against TOS to post.

As a lawyer, the lack of a prompt and clear notice from management to all residents is DISTURBING. They should also have held a townhall or meeting for residents with Management and if possible LE. Maybe they didn’t want to put details of what occurred in writing as the letter would be evidence in a lawsuit if CB’s family pursues a civil case against the complex. But talk to the residents in person. A townhall (with sign in sheet) would also have given LE a chance to scan the room, observe everyone, and take note of any residents who did not attend. Don’t see how that could hurt.

A town hall meeting would be a great idea. As MissyMom stated earlier the new leasing company has been great outside of this event. There is a local pub/restaurant that is part of the Golf Course next to the apartment complex and they have thrown a few happy hour events there for residents. That would be a great location to host an event discussing what happened and what is currently being done. They let us know that there would be an increased police presence here but the fact that they said they currently don't have any leads or suspects is scary.

 

[MissyMom]

I also live in Hunters Glen and am glad that I found this community and thread. This has literally hit close to home in so many different ways and it is mind boggling that there hasn't been any new information on this at all. Some of the other local members such as Missy Mom and DAB have done a great job of sharing what we know locally and how terrified we are as a community but one thing I didn't see mentioned is that our Leasing office didn't alert us or send any correspondence for almost 4 days. The murder took place Monday and they sent us an email on Thursday at 6pm that was extremely vague. I had to look up local news to see what actually happened which is unacceptable to me. I'm not as concerned for my own safety but my girlfriend has a key to my apartment and regularly stops by my apartment when I'm not there during the day. Another thing I'd like to add is that I live in a first floor apartment and you can hear when someone is walking up and down the steps to their apartment very clearly. The walls are also so paper thin that I can hear my upstairs neighbors phone alarm go off every morning at 6 am and hear the neighborhood kids playing outside my window every day as well so if there was a murder going on above me or beside me you would clearly be able to hear what was happening. So if people were home they should know a lot more than what they are saying IMHO.

Welcome DMA19, it’s nice to have another Hunter’s Glen resident here. I didn’t know what happened until that Wednesday after Carolyn was killed. My neighbor came over to tell me. As soon as I found out I emailed the office to find out if it was true and I asked when they planned to inform all of the residents. They confirmed and told me a letter would be going out shortly. I do wonder if they are limited in what they are allowed to tell the residents and by that I mean if the police are asking them not to give out any updates.

 

[MissyMom]

This may be the reason the current management company doesn’t plan to install cameras. It looks as the property was sold last year. I noticed one of the buildings by the park being completely renovated. Carmel Partners Acquires 896-Unit Hunters Glen Garden Apartment Community in New Jersey | MultifamilyBiz.com

 

[zecats]

An article from early days, but some key words to ponder.

Killer was waiting at apartment for 26-year-old woman murdered on her lunch break, sources say BBM

"Killer was waiting at apartment"

She did not regularly go home for lunch.

"But Carolyn Byington did midday Monday, drawn there for some reason, and was apparently attacked once she entered her apartment"

"Police found the lifeless 26-year-old with her personal belongings, and her apartment with no forced entry"

Eta - my thoughts - Killer was waiting as in expecting her? No forced entry has she let him in or he was in already? (Or she). Also don't know why this copied in such large text...Not my intention.

 

[DAB]

Despite what the lease may say about not installing/changing locks in an apartment, since mgt has done so little to assure residents’ safety, tenants will take measures into their own hands.
Also, thinking about Mackenzie Lueck, perhaps Carolyn was on dating websites & that was what drew her home. Perhaps her communication with the murderer was via a temporary cellphone that was discarded.
I plan to follow up with the police on community education/information sharing. The person I was supposed to meet with was taking vacation last week. I was going to suggest a community meeting & the township building can easily accommodate this.

 

[DAB]

This may be the reason the current management company doesn’t plan to install cameras. It looks as the property was sold last year. I noticed one of the buildings by the park being completely renovated. Carmel Partners Acquires 896-Unit Hunters Glen Garden Apartment Community in New Jersey | MultifamilyBiz.com

I think all the more reason for security cameras, to protect their investment & continue to draw tenants to the complex.

 

[Seattle1]

This may be a dumb question, but are we certain that Hunter’s Glen even allows tenants to install supplementary door locks? My family owns and rents out several commercial and residential units not far from Plainsboro, so I’ve seen many PA and NJ rental agreements that mandate that tenants provide the landlord or property manager with copies of keys to any supplemental locks the tenants have installed on/in their units (so that maintenance issues in the unit can be addressed, particularly urgent ones—for example, if a tenant has let their bathtub overflow and water is pouring into their downstairs neighbor’s unit). The landlord/property manager is required to provide the tenant with 24 hours’ notice that they will be entering their unit, though this requirement is waived in urgent situations like the aforementioned as long as the landlord/PM notifies the tenant—via email or phone call/voicemail—that they will be entering their unit immediately). Possibly Carolyn got a call at work that morning from the landlord/PM informing her that maintenance was shortly going to enter her apartment, she dashed home to put away any items/hide any unapproved pets/usher out any unapproved guests that she didn’t want maintenance to see, and subsequently had a confrontation with said maintenance worker or property manager? I keep thinking of the phrase LE used—that she was “drawn home”—and unless she got a call from a delivery service telling her to run home to sign for a certified letter or valuable/important delivery, it seems to me that a call from the property manager or maintenance service is very likely the catalyst LE is referring to.

The preceding thoughts are MOO!

Not sure how current this 2008 Landlord Right of Entry link is but it cites NJ as one of the states that don't require tenant to give landlord a key unless it's in the lease agreement.

*Add a Lock Policy in Your Lease
Your lease can include language that prohibits a tenant from changing the locks unless you give permission and get an extra key. If your lease doesn’t state anything about locks, tenants can typically change them.

In some states, such as California and New Jersey, tenants can change the locks and not give you a key unless your lease states otherwise..

Lock Lock, Who's There? The Rules for Changing Locks

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Thank u for being here local Hunters Glen Websleuthers! So glad to have your perspective as it always helps those of us who are so far away. Please continue to post here as your insight is valuable to us as we hope to find answers to Carolyn’s murder. I don't post a lot but I’m always in the background reading so thanks for keeping this thread moving,

Carolyn was “drawn” home on her lunch hour. The word “drawn” has me baffled too....there had to be telephone communication between her and the killer I would think. I just don’t know at this point as you would expect this case to have been solved by now if they had that type of a link.

 

[DMA19]

Welcome DMA19, it’s nice to have another Hunter’s Glen resident here. I didn’t know what happened until that Wednesday after Carolyn was killed. My neighbor came over to tell me. As soon as I found out I emailed the office to find out if it was true and I asked when they planned to inform all of the residents. They confirmed and told me a letter would be going out shortly. I do wonder if they are limited in what they are allowed to tell the residents and by that I mean if the police are asking them not to give out any updates.

That puts a lot of things into perspective. I remember the switch over to the new property management team being very abrupt and wondering exactly what happened.

A few thoughts/Theories regarding the case:

1) Is it possible that LE are only looking at actual text messages and phone records? Many people communicate through various apps such as whatsapp and social media platforms. I was a juror for a murder trial in New Brunswick back in 2014 and they presented us with phone and text records as evidence but a lot of people communicate in various ways. There are also apps such as Letgo that allow you to sell items, very similar to Ebay but you actually meet up with people to exchange items and money. With an app like that most of your communication would be within the app and not picked up through text or phone records. A lot of people sell furniture, memorabilia, even cars through the app and request that people come pick up and transport items themselves. That would explain the trip home for lunch, the sound of furniture moving etc if the person pretended to want a piece of furniture and then attacked her. The only problem with that is she wasn't robbed and all of her personal belongings were still there and there is no mention of rape or anything like that so there's no typical motive that makes sense for that scenario and no guarantee she even had that type of app on her phone or that LE hasn't already explored all of those options.


2) I don't believe the killer actually knew her or was an ex boyfriend/girlfriend etc. Like others have stated that would lead to a relatively easy case. The time frame is so specific and the communication or history would be so easy to pinpoint that if they couldn't physically capture the person I would think we would at least have a person of interest named and instead of them asking for any "leads" we'd hear them request information on specific persons and their whereabouts. I also don't think this is a domestic issue because as I stated before the walls here are very thin and there has been no mention of repeated noises or arguments being heard or anything like that. All that was mentioned was that she was seen coming and going from work.

The fact that we don't know anything is the worst part of this I'm hoping with FBI involvement they can start narrowing down some leads and get justice for Carolyn.

 

[zecats]

Really really good thought @DMA19. Especially the LetGo idea. Maybe not necessarily that app even..maybe an earlier request from someone who wanted to buy something she had. Made plans verbally to meet her there that day during her lunch break, therefore no texts or phone messages. I tend to agree that she was not lured there by an ex or a romantic engagement, since that would have an easier trail to follow and thus solve. I like your idea. That, or she just went home on her own for whatever reason (I've mentioned a few upthread) and someone was in her apartment attempting to burglarize. Or even a voyeur (maintenance or someone with a key) who wanted to go through her things. Nothing was taken it seems, including her personal items. But if person ended up killing her because he/she was caught when she came home unexpectedly, then thoughts could have been to get out quickly with no time to take anything. All my rambling own opinions. And fairly random, but it does happen.

I'm not as close to this location as you and @MissyMom and others, but I do live in NJ and I often take the train through Princeton Junction to visit my kids farther north and in NY. I think about Carolyn now when I pass by there. Sad for her and her family. What a nightmare.