CNB CRIME: Grand Jury Indicts Costello Brothers for Murder, Burying Body
Thursday, July 27, 2017
MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that two brothers have been indicted on murder and other charges for killing an acquaintance last year and burying his body in the back yard of their Lumberton home.
Christopher Costello, 28, and Bryan Costello, 25, were indicted by a Burlington County Grand Jury on one count of Murder (First Degree), one count of Desecration of Human Remains (Second Degree) and one count of Hindering Apprehension (Third Degree). The indictment was returned today and signed by Prosecutor Coffina. An arraignment will be scheduled soon in Superior Court.
The Costello brothers have been in the Burlington County Jail since early November 2016, when they were arrested and charged with the death of Justin Dubois, 23. All three men resided at the same house in the first block of Spencer Court where the body was discovered by investigators. The residence is owned by the father of the Costello brothers.
The investigation into the killing began as a missing persons case when a relative who lives at a separate residence contacted police on October 31 and indicated she had not seen nor heard from Justin Dubois since Oct. 27, which was uncharacteristic.
The initial investigation revealed that Justin Dubois may have been the victim of foul play, and the Costello brothers were then identified as suspects. A search warrant was obtained for the Spencer Court residence. Detectives observed an area in the back yard where the soil appeared to have been recently dug up and then put back into place. Excavation of the area uncovered the body of Justin Dubois.
The case is being prosecuted by Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Bob VanGilst, supervisor of the BCPO Major Crimes Unit.
The case was investigated by the BCPO Major Crimes Unit, Crime Scene Unit and High-Tech Crimes Unit, the Lumberton Police Department and the West Windsor Police Department. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Nick Villano, BCPO Detective Tom LaRosa (formerly of the Lumberton Police Department) and West Windsor Police Department detectives William Jones and Carey Zacheis.
An indictment is merely an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.