Man Charged With Murder In NJ Woman, Disabled Son Attack: Report

WARREN COUNTY, NJ - A man who was previously charged with evidence tampering in the homicide case of an 84-year-old Washington Borough woman has now been charged with her murder.

Kyle Kaspereen, 24, is charged with murder, attempted murder, burglary, robbery and kidnapping tied to a Nov. 30 that left Elaine Trachin dead and her 52-year-old son with severe injuries, WFMZ-TV first reported.

On Thursday afternoon, New Jersey State Police divers searched a section of the Delaware River, locating William Trachin's phone.

The phone was found there, according to LehighValleyLive.com, after investigators followed surveillance video leads that showed Kaspereen throwing an item into the river from a bridge between Phillipsburg and Easton, Pennsylvania the same day as the murder, Warren County Prosecutor Jim Pfeiffer told the news outlet.

Washington Township Police, who cover Washington Borough and also helped on the dive, responded to the Trachin home on Wayne Street after neighbors heard commotion that night at about 8:15 p.m. and called police.

William Trachin, who uses a wheelchair, was airlifted to a nearby trauma center and placed in intensive care. He is in “stable but critical condition," LehighValleyLive.com reported on Thursday, and remains hospitalized.

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When police found Trachin at his home, his hands were restrained with duct tape to his wheelchair, his entire upper body shrouded with a trash bag and also duct-taped, according to WFMZ.

Kaspereen, an Easton resident, who is detained in the Warren County Correctional Center and scheduled for court on Friday, was previously charged with evidence tampering when interviewed by detectives, after they saw him deleting text messages during an interview break.

They interviewed him after learning Kaspereen had been at the Trachin house the night of the incident.

When asked why he deleted the texts, Kaspereen reportedly told investigators because the text messages "didn't add up to what I told you."

Authorities said the texts were pertaining to the sale of a motorcycle that reportedly fell through.

Since the initial evidence tampering charges, LehighValleyLive.com indicated, investigators learned that Kaspereen also reportedly Googled on his phone about how crimes are investigated and for information about murders in Washington, where the Trachin home is located.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a local news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.