SUNY New Paltz Student Admits to Grisly Murder of Mother

After insisting he was innocent, a SUNY New Paltz student has admitted to murdering his mother and discarding her in a trash bag.

In 2019 Jared Eng was attending college in the Hudson Valley when his mother was found stuffed in a garbage bag with her throat slashed. Paula Chin was stabbed in the neck and bludgeoned several times on the head before being discovered at a home in New Jersey. Investigators say the murder occurred at her Tribeca home and the body was transported from the crime scene in an attempt to cover it up.

The 22-year-old Hudson Valley student was arrested along with two women with whom the Daily News says he was in a polyamorous relationship. Caitlyn O'Rourke, a fellow SUNY New Paltz Student and their friend Jennifer Lopez were charged with "concealment of a human corpse" and later released under bail reform law. Eng remained in custody maintaining his innocence but finally admitted to the murder on Friday.

After three years, Eng pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree and faces a minimum of 18 years to life in prison. Prosecutors had a large amount of evidence in the case including text messages, search history and forensic evidence that pointed to Eng as the killer. The New Paltz student Googled how to dispose of a body, including a recipe for "DIY bone meal." Prosecutors also had text messages and records of phone calls where Eng told one of his conspirators that his mother "took a while to die." After Chin's murder, Eng texted "it's done" and shared his relief, declaring "I'm free"

Authorities say O'Rourke and Lopez, whose charges are pending, assisted in the disposal of the victim. Lopez allegedly helped clean the murder scene and drove the body to Chin's home. Authorities say text messages from Lopez to O'Rourke show her role in transporting the body, writing "the hardest part was backing up the car."

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told The Daily News “This was a brutal and shocking murder of the defendant’s own mother, and while nothing can undo this tragedy, today’s guilty plea represents an important step towards justice." Eng is scheduled to be sentenced next month.