Edison man charged with murdering his brother
Bloody brick found next to victim's body
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer
An Edison resident has been charged with murdering his brother after police found the victim's body lying face down in the driveway of the suspect's home.

ERIC SUCAR staff Authorities were investigating a possible homicide at the small Cape Cod-style home at 22 Farmhaven Ave. in Edison on May 1. The victim was found dead outside on the property.

According to Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan, police in Edison were called to a residence on Farmhaven Boulevard, where they had been alerted to an unconscious man who may need medical assistance at about 3:55 p.m. on April 30. When authorities arrived, they saw a man, identified as John Kucinski, a 58- year-old Edison resident, lying facedown in the driveway with what was described as severe head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:02 p.m. A broken, bloody brick was found next to the victim.

The Edison Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation, which included interviews with several witnesses. Authorities then charged John Kucinski's brother, James, with murder, citing police investigation and physical evidence as probable cause for arrest.

Edison police located James Kucinski around 9 that night, finding him inside his car in the parking lot of Chili's on Oak Tree Road in Edison. He voluntarily accompanied police back to headquarters, where he was arrested and charged with the murder of his brother around 10:25 p.m.

James Kucinski entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment on May 1 before State Superior Court Judge Frederick P. Devesa, Middlesex County, who set bail at $700,000 with no 10 percent option.

In a statement from Kaplan, it was stated that the two men who worked on the case, Detective James Duffy of the Edison Police Department and Investigator George Trillhaase of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, deserve special praise for their work, as does the entire Edison Police Department.

According to Assistant Prosecutor Nicholas Sewitch, a grand jury date has not been set, but a status conference has been scheduled for June 19.