Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

25 Kirkpatrick Street, 3^rd Floor, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 (732) 745-3300

*News Release* Date: July 2, 2009

Roommate charged in New Brunswick homicide

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and New Brunswick Police Director Anthony A. Caputo today announced the arrest of a New Brunswick man, who was charged with the murder of his roommate earlier this week.

Reinaldo Fuentes (DOB 4/21/89) was charged in the death of Adrian Betanzos, 26, who was killed sometime early Monday, July 29, 2009, in a room he shared with the defendant at an apartment at 138 French St.

Fuentes was apprehended by police on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, at 6:24 p.m. as he emerged from an apartment on Delivan Street in New Brunswick. He was charged at police headquarters at 10:21 p.m.

While the results of an autopsy are pending, a preliminary investigation showed that Betanzos suffered multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.

Fuentes is currently being held without bail, but is scheduled to appear at a court hearing at 1:30 p.m. today before Superior Court Judge Bradley Ferencz at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick.

The investigation by Detective Ronoldy Martinez, of the New Brunswick Police Department, and Investigator Eleazar Ricardo, of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, began after police were notified that the victim was found at 10:18 a.m. on July 1.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Martinez at (732) 745-5200, or Investigator Ricardo at (732) 745-3300.

As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charge against Fuentes is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.