NEW BRUNSWICK – The family of Carolyn Byington, who was murdered in her Plainsboro apartment by a co-worker, was encouraged to celebrate her life while the man responsible for her death will spend 55 years in state prison.
Kenneth Saal, 33, of Lindenwold, was sentenced Monday by Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Pedro Jimenez Jr. to 45 years in state prison on murder and burglary charges and a consecutive 10-year sentence on conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering charges for a crime the judge characterized as “senseless.”
“Move on from today,” Jimenez told Byington’s family and friends. “She made each one of your lives better because she was in it. Mourn her by celebrating who she way and everything she gave. She wants you to live your life.”
Jimenez said the June 10, 2019 stabbing death of the 26-year-old woman home during a work lunch break could have been avoided if Saal had left her alone.
He said Saal, who was hiding behind her door when Byington unexpectedly came home, could have pushed her and run out the door, but instead he stabbed her over and over and over in a “cruel and depraved” struggle.
“It makes no sense,” the judge said.
In addressing the court, Saal, who worked with Byington at a Princeton company, apologized for his actions, but did not turn to face her family.
“I’m sorry every day for my choices. If there was any way I could take back things that I have done I would without question. I regret immensely the pain I have caused you all. There are no words big enough to described the atrociousness I’ve done or the misery I’ve brought on you,” said Saal, seated between his attorneys Brian J. Neary and Suzanne Axel.
Saal also apologized to his parents, who were in the courtroom, his younger sister, and grandparents.
“I’m sorry for the way I am and that I’ve hidden it from you for so long, my entire life. The facade I put up kept you from seeing any warning signs. I can only imagine the pain I have caused from the shock of learning the truth,” he said.
He also apologized to his ex-wife and his young daughter for his “selfish decisions.”
Dressed in purple, a symbol of justice, four rows of family members and friends of Carolyn Byington, a 2011 graduate of Ridge High School in Bernards and 2015 graduate of Lafayette College, filled the courtroom.
Standing between Assistant Prosecutors Tzva Dolinger and Lynne Seborowski, Byington’s older sister Caitlyn said she will miss her only sibling’s hugs, laugh and their long talks for the rest of her life. As her sister’s next of kin, she had to tell their parents about Carolyn’s death.
She said Carolyn was suppose to be the maid of honor at her wedding and the godmother of her future children. She said she wears her sister’s cross necklace and a ring her sister bought days before her death to keep her close.
Robert Byington described his late daughter as someone who was very organized, who enjoyed helping others and had a broad love of music.
And a family friend, who Carolyn’s mother knew since college, said she cherishes the two days Carolyn spent with her at the beach shortly before she was killed.
Jennifer Byington said her daughter planned family vacations and set goals for herself every year because she wanted to improve herself.
She said the last time the family was together, they had celebrated some family birthdays. As she and daughter hugged, her daughter wanted more hugs.
“But no more hugs are coming,” Jennifer Byington said. “I try to accept her death every day.”
Saal’s sentencing was part of a plea agreement reached in November. At the time Saal pleaded guilty to murder, a first-degree crime, burglary and stalking.
Saal also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit witness tampering in a copycat murder plot aimed at derailing his trial.
He had plotted a copycat murder with another inmate at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick, where Saal has been held since his arrest, to create doubt in his case. He allegedly offered to pay the inmate $15,000 to make it seem that Byington’s killer had not yet been apprehended.
More:South Jersey man faces trial in Plainsboro co-worker’s 2019 murder
Court documents reveal that part of the case was unraveled with a wiretap, just weeks before Saal was scheduled to go on trial. During the sentencing Dolinger played part of the audio recording in which Saal instructs the other inmate to stab a young woman in the neck, use bleach to clean up and make sure the location finder is turned off on the cell phone.
Saal also acknowledged that as an alternative, he thought of a plan to kill one of two witnesses who were scheduled to testify at trial and have their deaths staged as a suicide with a note claiming responsibility for Byington’s murder. Dolinger said the notes were recovered from Saal’s jail cell.
In pleading guilty Saal said in April 2019 he copied Byington’s house key while she was at work and used the key to enter her apartment on multiple days, and also planted hidden surveillance cameras to record her at her home without her knowledge.
More:South Jersey man pleads guilty in 2019 stabbing death of co-worker in Plainsboro
He visited Byington’s apartment several times before the day she was murdered. He also described how he brutally killed her when she came home unexpectedly and found him in her home.
Byington worked as a market research project manager at Engine US in Princeton, a marketing company. When she didn’t return to work on that June day, co-workers asked police to do a wellness check. Around 5:57 p.m., Plainsboro police went to her apartment and found her dead.
Authorities said Byington died from multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.
Saal, who began working as a staff accountant at Engine US in July 2016, was arrested two months later and charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
More:Wiretap unraveled Middlesex County inmate’s copycat murder plot: court documents
Co-workers reported Saal’s demeanor changed after Byington’s death. He allegedly lied about where he was at the time Byington was on her lunch break, and he allegedly asked a co-worker if he could be arrested based on “circumstantial evidence.”
Saal allegedly told his boss on June 10, 2019 he was getting repair work done on his car and would be late returning to work. His boss later learned Saal had not been at an auto repair shop. Other co-workers also reported seeing cuts on Saal’s hands on the days after Byington’s death.
Police dash cam footage also showed a vehicle matching Saal’s traveling in Plainsboro about 2 p.m. June 10, about six miles from the office where Saal and Byington worked.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: South Jersey man gets 55 years in murder of Plainsboro co-worker
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