Accused Killer Of Montco's Jenna Burleigh Appears In Court

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The man accused of killing 22-year-old Temple University student and Montgomery County native Jenna Burleigh will have his fist court appearance Wednesday since he was charged and arraigned in early September.

Joshua Hupperterz, 29, of Philadelphia, is accused of killing Burleigh in his Philadelphia apartment during the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 31 after meeting her at a Temple-area bar.

Hupperterz then took Burleigh's body to Jenkintown before getting a ride via Lyft about 140 miles northeast of the city to Wayne County, where he dumped her body on his grandmother's property, police said.

Investigations later showed Burleigh, whose cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma and strangulation, sent messages and called friends for help earlier on the night she was killed.

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According to her obituary, Burleigh was a dedicated advocate for social justice who was "unapologetically herself." She graduated from Souderton Area High School and Montgomery County Community College, and had recently begun studies at Temple University as a film and media arts major.

"I truly believe in the good in people and the magic that can be found in all of us," she wrote in Facebook. "I will always fight for what’s right. I will always fight for equality for ALL.”

A GoFundMe memorial fund for the Burleigh family can be found here.

Hupperterz was denied bail at his preliminary arraignment on Sept. 3 and remains incarcerated.

Image via Philadelphia Police