A New Jersey man already facing jail time for a 2012 hit-and-run incident pleaded not guilty to killing a college student whose body was found near Rutgers University on February 15.
Local newspaper Courier News reported that the victim, 22-year-old former Rutgers student William McCaw, was visiting New Brunswick to catch up with old friends, as he had transferred to Kean University in Union and Hillside for his final year of studies. In the early hours of February 15, McCaw left a house party to attend another gathering.
That's when he allegedly ran into Puskas, who beat him to death. The motives behind the assault are still unknown, as investigators found that they did not know each other.
Having suffered multiple injuries including one in the head, McCaw died of blunt force trauma. The college student's body was found in a backyard of a house near campus at around 10:30 a.m. the next day. Police concluded the residents of the house were not involved in the murder.
The alleged murder isn't Puskas' first run-in with the law. On January 25, 2012, the former computer analyst hit a cyclist on Georges Road while driving a black 1998 Toyota 4Runner. Puskas fled the area, leaving Leonel Lopez Hernandez, a 26-year-old father of two, to die at scene of the accident.
Puskas' bail for McCaw's murder has been set at $5 million, but Puskas' attorney said he would challenge the amount.
