SJ student charged with murdering school sweetheart

Matthew Christopher Hus deeply loved Paige Pfefferle from the time the Audubon couple met at her Sweet 16 party three years ago, relatives said.

With a muscular 6-foot-2 frame, Hus played football and baseball. Pfefferle was the petite cheerleader watching her guy from the sidelines. Both came from families who have lived in the area for generations. They talked of marriage.

On Tuesday, Pfefferle, 19, of a quiet cul-de-sac in Audubon Park, appeared for a murder arraignment, in which authorities said she fatally stabbed the 21-year-old Hus during an argument over the weekend.

Their relationship, authorities said, had no obvious history of domestic violence. The tragic end to their love story brought both of their families to tears as they sat in a courtroom in Camden's Hall of Justice on Tuesday morning.

Dressed in orange prison clothes with her wrists cuffed, Pfefferle, a student at La Salle University in Philadelphia, stood before Judge Samuel Natal, at times crying. Her family wept as authorities noted the 2009 Audubon High School graduate possibly faced life in prison.

Nearby, Marek and Emilie E. Hus held a photo of their son, who worked as a carpenter. They sat with their daughter, Helena Hus-Egnatuk, 24, and a cousin, Bob Thomas.

"The quality of the son I had was fantastic," Emilie Hus said, fighting tears after the hearing.

Hus graduated from Audubon High in 2008. He loved skiing, hunting and roller blading. "There weren't enough hours in the day for him," Hus said.

Even if he was out late, Hus said, her son arose at 6 a.m. for work with the Carpenter's Union. "He was a good kid," she said. And he cared deeply for Pfefferle, his only love, his mother said.

His funeral is scheduled for Thursday at Holy Maternity Church of the Emmaus Catholic Community in Audubon.

Pfefferle's family declined to speak to reporters Tuesday. On MySpace, Pfefferle - a cheerleading coach for the Oaklyn Cats - wrote that Hus and "I love being in love."

Little was disclosed in court about the couple's argument Saturday night, possibly about Pfefferle leaving for college, authorities said.

Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Ira Slovin said the couple argued about 2 a.m. in the house where Pfefferle lived with her parents. Pfefferle followed Hus from the living room into the kitchen.

While his back was turned, she told authorities, she picked up a knife and lifted it over her head to scare Hus, Slovin said. Hus turned into the knife, according to her account.

Slovin said Pfefferle initially said Hus collapsed and she didn't know why. In her confession, Slovin said, Pfefferle told investigators there was no history of abuse and she did not fear Hus.

Medical examiner Gerald A. Feigin determined Hus died of a single knife wound to the chest that punctured his aorta. Feigin concluded that the wound was not caused by Hus turning into the knife and that the weapon likely was thrust down, Slovin said.

Pfefferle's attorney, Jaime Kaigh, said his client, who has an "anxiety problem," does not have any prior arrests. She did not intend to kill Hus, whom she loved, Kaigh said.

"I believe alcohol, one way or the other, played a part in this case," the attorney said.

The judge set bail at $500,000.

A viewing for Hus will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, and from 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Healey Funeral Home, 9 White Horse Pike, Haddon Heights.

A funeral will follow at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Holy Maternity Church of the Emmaus Catholic Community, 431 W. Nicholson Road, Audubon. Interment will be at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Chews Landing.