Richard Still of Delanco, New Jersey was charged with one count of Murder. Still was arrested early Friday morning following the discovery of Louis Berger's body.
The body was found last night in a shallow grave behind a residence on Hartford Road.
According to the investigation, Still killed Berger on February 11 at Berger's home on Rancocas Avenue in Delanco. Still, the boyfriend of Berger's granddaughter, had been residing there at the time.
Police say the victim's granddaughter, who is 5 months pregnant with the suspect's child, had no idea her grandfather had been murdered.
After the killing, police say Still used Berger's 1999 Pontiac Grand Am to move Berger's body. He drove to Camden, where he picked up an acquaintance, then went to Mount Laurel and buried the body at his cousin's home.
"The body was taken out of the trunk and Mr. Still dug the grave and placed the body in it," Burlington County Prosecutor Bob Bernardi said.
The residents of the Mount Laurel home were unaware that Berger's body had been buried on the property.
Still's acquaintance has not been charged in connection with Berger's death.
"I can't believe he'd do something like this, he's not a violent person," Still's sister, Lydia, said.
On the same night as the burial, police say Berger's car was later abandoned at 4th and Washington streets in the Lanning Square section of Camden. Its location was reported to law enforcement authorities on March 8th.
The investigation also revealed that in March, Still had taken a large quantity of jewelry that had belonged to Berger's late wife and sold it at a local pawn shop.
The cause of death is believed to be due to manual strangulation. A confirmatory autopsy will be performed by the Burlington County Medical Examiner.
Berger was reported missing after he failed to attend his great-grandson's birthday party at the local VFW on Feb. 13. Berger, a Vietnam veteran, had paid for the event and had also purchased a gift in preparation for the party.
Bail for Still was set at $1 million by Burlington County Superior Court Judge Susan L. Claypoole.
The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, the Delanco Police Department and the New Jersey State Police.
