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Jared Eng pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder as part of a plea deal Friday, Sept. 16, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
"This was a brutal and shocking murder of the defendant's own mother, and while nothing can undo this tragedy, today's guilty plea represents an important step towards justice," Bragg said.
Eng, now 25, beat and slashed his mom Paula Chin's throat during an argument at their shared Tribeca apartment in January 2019, authorities said.
Then, with help from his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, Eng sanitized the apartment and transported Chin's body to the family home in Morristown, NJ via Chin's a 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser, the New York Post reports. There, they were met by Eng's lover, Caitlyn O'Rourke, who allegedly helped stuff Chin's body into a trash can.
Bloody rubber gloves were found during the investigation, along with blood stains and duct tape.
In a series of text messages after the killing, Eng said: "It's done. I'm free," and that he "got rid of [his] problem," the DA said.
Within days of the killing, Eng began the process of changing the passwords on Chin’s bank accounts, searching for inheritance lawyers, and researching various ways to dispose of his mother’s body, including a Google search for “diy bone meal.”
Eng's older son was the one to report his mother missing, The Post said. Her body was found in the garbage can at the New Jersey home.
O'Rourke and Lopez were charged with tampering with evidence and concealing a human corpse. While Eng was held without bail, O'Rourke's bail was set at $50,000 while Lopez's was $100,000.
Eng is facing a minimum of 18 years to life in prison, and a maximum of 22 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 18.
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