Man Convicted Of Burying Murdered Roommate In Backyard: BCPO

A South Jersey man has been convicted of killing his roommate and burying him in the backyard of the home they shared with his father and his brother, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced. Christopher Costello, 29, of Lumberton, was found guilty by a jury of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of 23-year-old Justin Dubois.

He was previously convicted of second-degree desecration of human remains and third-degree hindering apprehension. However, in that trial, the jury found him not guilty of murder and couldn’t reach a verdict on the aggravated manslaughter charge, Coffina said.

That trial was in March. Following the second trial, Costello was found guilty of the aggravated manslaughter charge on Aug. 14.

His brother, 26-year-old Bryan Costello, also of Lumberton, previously pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter in the death of Dubois.

They were both indicted last year in the murder. In March of this year, Christopher Costello admitted that he helped his brother bury Dubois in the backyard. A month later, Bryan Costello admitted that he beat Dubois to death with a baseball bat, Coffina said. He also said his brother helped him bury the body in the backyard.

Christopher Costello had testified in court that his brother woke him up in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, 2016, and told him a fight with Dubois "had gotten out of control," according to the Burlington County Times. He admitted to helping his brother bury Dubois's naked body in the backyard.

“This was a challenging trial, with Bryan Costello trying to take sole responsibility for killing Justin DuBois, but (Assistant Prosecutor Louis) Casadia did an excellent job focusing the jury on the physical evidence, the nature of Justin’s injuries, and the discrepancies in the brothers’ accounts,” Coffina said. “We appreciate the attention of the jury members throughout the trial and their careful consideration of the evidence in concluding that Christopher was an equal participant in this brutal homicide.”

Bryan Costello has already been sentenced to 15 years in New Jersey State Prison, and must serve 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole. Christopher Costello faces a term that is potentially twice as long. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

The investigation began on Oct. 31, 2016, 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 then executed a search warrant at the home on Spencer Court that all three lived in. The home was owned by the Costello brothers' father. At the home, detectives 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 prior few days, police said.

Dubois, formerly of West Windsor, had dreams of playing in the NBA, according to nj.com. He graduated from the Life Center Academy in Florence in 2012.

The trial of Christopher Costello was led by Casadia, with assistance from Bob VanGilst, supervisor of the Violent Crime Section of the Major Crimes Unit. The case was investigated by the BCPO Major Crimes Unit – Violent Crimes Section, Crime Scene Unit and High-Tech Crimes Unit, the Lumberton Police Department and the West Windsor Police Department. The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Nick Villano, BCPO Detective Tom LaRosa and West Windsor Police Department detectives William Jones and Carey Zacheis.

The attached image of Christopher Costello was provided by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office