Brothers Killed Roommate, Buried Him In Backyard Of South Jersey Home: Prosecutor

Two brothers in South Jersey are accused of killing a man they lived with and burying him in their backyard.

Christopher Costello, 27, and Bryan Costello, 24, both of Lumberton, Burlington County, were charged with one count of first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Justin Dubois, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Lumberton Township Police Chief Anthony DiLoreto said on Friday.

All three men lived in a house on the first block of Spencer Court, where investigators discovered Dubois’s body on Thursday, police said.

The investigation began on Halloween, when a relative who lives in a different residence reported she had not seen or heard from Dubois since Oct. 27, which was uncharacteristic.

The initial investigation revealed that Dubois may have been the victim of foul play, and the Costello brothers were then identified as suspects.

Detectives executed a search warrant at the Spencer Court home on Thursday. They spotted an area of soil in the backyard that appeared to have recently been dug up and put back into place.

Excavation of the area revealed Dubois’s body, which had been buried in that location at some point during the last few days, police said.

Motive and location of the murder remain under investigation. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday to determine the cause of death.

Bail was set at $500,000 with no 10 percent ahead of the brothers’ first appearance, scheduled for Friday afternoon. The case will then be sent to a grand jury to be considered for indictment.

The attached images of Christopher and Bryan Costello were provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office