A former Temple University student, Joshua Hupperterz, 29, was charged with the murder of the student Jenna Burleigh, 22, who was missing since Thursday night. Her remains were found yesterday in a property that is linked to Hupperterz.
Jenna’s disappearance was reported by her family three days ago. The last time she was seen was on surveillance video leaving a bar near the school campus in north Philadelphia. He was with Joshua Hupperterz. However, the man says he was too drunk that night, so he doesn’t remember who he left the bar with.
“We still don’t even know the cause of death,” Philadelphia police commissioner Richard Ross said. “We still have a lot of work to do, to include trying to figure out who else may have been involved, if there’s anyone else at all.”
Jenna’s body was found in the property of Hupperterz’s grandmother
After her family reported her disappearance, Temple Police posted the “missing person” advisory on twitter.
“We need your help in finding Temple student Jenna Burleigh, who was last seen on August 31st at 2 am. Please share any information, posted Temple Police on their twitter account.
Burleigh’s sister also posted an image of Jenna on Facebook asking if anybody knew or heard something about Jenna since Thursday.
However, her body was found on Saturday in the Wayne County Township. According to the autopsy, she was killed in Philadelphia and then she was taken there about 100 miles away from her last known location. Her remains were at the property of the suspect’s grandmother. According to the police, she died from blunt trauma and strangulation.
Jenna’s father: ‘Our Beautiful Angel Jenna is now in Heaven.’
Hupperterz is in custody since Friday. He faces charges of murder, charges of possession of an instrument of crime, evidence-tampering, and abuse of a corpse. He will have his preliminary hearing on September 20th. There is not an attorney listed for him. The motives of the murder are not clear yet. Police were not satisfied with Hupperterz’s declaration, where he said that he didn’t remember leaving the bar alongside the girl.
Temple University President Richard Englert said that the student started the semester as a junior transfer student from Montgomery County Community College. Her classes began last Monday. He was majoring in film and media arts.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Jenna’s family and her classmates, both here at Temple and at Montgomery County Community College,” said Englert.
Her father, Edward, published a post on Facebook where he showed his sorrow for her daughter’s murder. He was the one who shared Jenna’s last dinner, and that was the last time he saw his daughter.
Apparently, Jenna and her killer lived very near, and he spent about a year asking her out regardless of her rejecting him. He also invited her to smoke weed, even though he knew she didn’t smoke.
Source: NBC Philadelphia