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Kenneth C. Saal is serving a 45-year prison sentence for killing Carolyn Byington when she returned home to Plainsboro apartment during her lunch break in June 2019, and a 10-year consecutive sentence for conspiring to kill another young woman, records show. Saal and Byington had been working together at Engine US in West Windsor, and Saal was married with a new baby at home.
Saal, of Lindenwold, stole Byington's keys, broke into her apartment, and installed hidden cameras, court papers show. Using a cell phone app for the cameras, Saal aligned them so that he could "get the right angle" to record Byington. He ultimately killed her on June 10, 2019, stabbing her to death with a screwdriver, scissors, and pen when she returned home from work during her lunch break and discovered him secretly installing another camera in her home, according to court papers.
This month, the court rejected Saal’s appeal, which challenged search warrants for his car and phone used to gather key evidence in the case. The panel ruled the warrants were valid and supported by probable cause, affirming the original trial court’s decision.
Saal pleaded guilty to the murder, admitting to stalking Byington, breaking into her home, installing hidden cameras, and killing her when she caught him during her lunch break. He also admitted he was "intrigued" by Byington.
While awaiting trial, Saal conspired with a fellow inmate to commit additional murders, including hiring the inmate to kill a woman in a way that mimicked Byington’s death, according to court papers. Saal also plotted to eliminate trial witnesses by staging their deaths as suicides.
"He instructed his cellmate to 'leave a letter at the crime scene taking accountability for the first murder,' thereby exculpating defendant," court papers read. "In the alternative, his cellmate could kill either of two trial witnesses and "make [it] look like a suicide . . . with a fake suicide note that [defendant] drafted."
The appellate court noted that evidence obtained from Saal’s car and phone, including DNA linking him to the crime, was critical in securing his conviction. It rejected his argument that the warrants were overly broad, ruling they complied with legal standards.
Saal’s 55-year sentence includes 45 years for murder and additional consecutive terms for conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering. He is required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.
The court also dismissed Saal’s claim that his consecutive sentences were unfair, affirming the trial judge’s assessment that his actions involved separate and independent crimes with multiple victims.
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