Man Charged With Murder After Stabbing Victim Dies: Police

A Burlington County man has been charged with murder after the person he stabbed last weekend died, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Burlington Township Public Safety Director Bruce Painter announced. The new charge followed an autopsy performed on Monday by the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded the manner of death was homicide and the cause was multiple stab wounds.

William Hines, 34, of Burlington Township, has been charged with one count of murder in the first degree for fatally stabbing 54-year-old Scott Willis at the home they shared in the Brittany Court section of the Chateau Apartments on Sunset Road in Burlington Township on Oct. 29.

Hines remains in the Burlington County Jail, where he was lodged after his arrest on Oct. 30. He will face a detention hearing in the near future. The case will now be prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury.

Burlington Township police officers were called to the home just after 10 a.m. on Oct. 29 for a reported stabbing. Upon arrival, officers discovered Willis on the bathroom floor, authorities said. He had been stabbed in his face, upper chest, hands and arms multiple times.

Willis was treated at the scene by members of the Burlington Township Police Department, Endeavor Emergency Squad and Virtua Paramedics prior to being transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he was listed in critical condition after being admitted.

Hines fled the apartment but was captured the following day, police said. He was initially charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Willis died on Nov. 4, and charges were upgraded afterward.

The attached image of William Hines was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office