UPDATE: Preliminary Hearing for Joshua Hupperterz Delayed

UPDATED 9/21/17 3:00pm:

The preliminary hearing for Joshua Hupperterz has been rescheduled for late November before Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan.

The first court hearing was Wednesday, but Hupperterz’s attorney cited the need to review the prosecution’s case.

“I need more time to do a little bit of investigation,” Nenner said.

Hupperterz is being held without bail at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and has maintained his innocence.

UPDATED 9/5/17 4:30pm:

Temple Student Government and the Progressive NAACP are hosting a vigil in remembrance of Jenna Burleigh on Thursday from 3:30pm to 5pm. The event will be held in Founder’s Garden where there will be open-mic sharing and space to write letters to the Burleigh family. Candles and flowers will also be provided. All members of the Temple community are welcome to join.

UPDATED 9/3/17 5:00pm:

The Wayne County Coroner’s Office has announced that Temple student Jenna Burleigh died of blunt force trauma and strangulation.

The autopsy was completed Sunday morning, the same day Joshua Hupperterz, the man last seen with Burleigh, was arraigned on murder charges and denied bail.

Burleigh’s body was found Saturday in Hawley, Pa, 150 miles away from where she was last seen at Pub Webb off Temple’s main campus.

UPDATED 9/3/17 1:45pm:
Jenna Burleigh had just started at Temple on Monday. She was majoring in film and media arts.

Joshua Hupperterz was arraigned just before 5am Sunday morning, charged with the murder of Temple student Jenna Burleigh.

Hupperterz was also charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and possession of an instrument of crime. He also faces multiple drug charges after police searched his 16th Street apartment and found drugs in the home.

According to Philadelphia Police, “Hupperterz informed [a detective] that he had been so drunk when he left the bar he had no recollection of who he had been with.”

According to documents on the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania Web Portal, a judge has denied bail for Hupperterz, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 20 at 9am.

This is not Hupperterz’s first brush with the law. Police records show charges including possession of drug paraphernalia and other drug charges 2010, theft of a vehicle in 2011, and charges of a DUI, burglary, and theft in 2013.

UPDATED 9/2/17 9:15pm:

Philadelphia Police held a press conference this evening announcing they have recovered Jenna Burleigh’s body in Wayne County, about 25 miles east of Scranton.

Joshua Hupperterz, a 29 year old former Temple student, has been arrested and is being charged with the murder of Jenna Burleigh. Police say Burleigh’s body was recovered on the property of Hupperterz’s grandmother in Hawley, Pa, but they believe Burleigh was killed in the 16th Street apartment and transported to Wayne County.

Police believe Hupperterz and Burleigh had no prior relationship, and had met the night Jenna disappeared. In his statement to police, Hupperterz “admitted to elements of the crime,” Philadelphia Police said during the press conference.

The circumstances and cause of death remain unclear at this time.

Temple University president Richard Englert released a statement via email to the Temple Community this evening, expressing his condolences to everyone who knew Jenna.

“Jenna joined the Temple community just this week as a junior transfer student from Montgomery County Community College, majoring in film and media arts. Our deepest sympathies go out to Jenna’s family and her classmates, both here at Temple and at Montgomery County Community College,” read the statement.

Englert also reminded students that there are resources available to them during this difficult time at the Tuttleman Counseling Services on Main Campus, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by calling 215-204-7276.

Burliegh was last seen wearing these clothes.

UPDATED 9/2/17 11:00am:

Police have searched a home on the 1700 block of 16th Street, which is said to be the home of a friend of Jenna’s.

A roommate reported to police that it looked like someone had tried to cover up blood stains in parts of the home. Police found the man at his grandmother’s home in Scranton, PA, and then obtained a search warrant for the apartment.

Homicide units were seen at the site of the home, as well as a cadaver dog, but the dog did not find anything.

No arrests have been made at this time, and no other information has been made available by police.

Original Article:

Temple student Jenna Burleigh has been reported missing by the Lower Salford Police Department.

The 22-year-old was last seen in the area of Pub Webb (1527 Cecil B. Moore Avenue) at 2 AM on August 31st. She was wearing a white shirt with a light blue jacket tied around her waist.

Any information should be reported to Temple Police at 215-204-1234 or Confidential Tip Line at 215-204-6493.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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