A Jamesburg man has been charged with stabbing two people and then setting a house on fire that killed his father.
Middlesex County Acting Prosecutor Christie L. Bevacqua and Chief James J. Craparotta of the Jamesburg Police Department announced on Nov. 8 that Jaree D. Kitchen, 21, of Jamesburg, has been charged with murder and aggravated arson in the fire he caused at his father’s home on Sheridan Street in the borough on Nov. 6.
As of Nov. 22, Superior Court Judge Michael Toto ordered that the defendant be detained pending the outcome of the criminal case. The case will proceed through the criminal justice process, with no new date as of yet, according to Andrea Boulton, public information officer for the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Two deceased victims were located during the fire. Clifford Kitchen, 53, of Jamesburg, was identified as one of the deceased. The other deceased victim’s identity is pending positive identification.
The Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office performed the autopsies, and found that both victims sustained stab wounds, according to the statement. The manner of death for both victims was ruled homicide.
Jaree D. Kitchen was taken into custody on Nov. 6 and is now charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated arson in the second degree, hindering his own prosecution in the third degree, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the third degree, and destroying physical evidence in the fourth degree, according to the statement.
Anyone with information should call Detective Sgt. Jason Muller of the Jamesburg Police Department at 732-521-0011, or Detective Deon McCall of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3848.
