A Philadelphia was being held for trial on charges that he fatally stabbed his girlfriend then dumped her body in a rural part of northwestern New Jersey.
Prosecutors say 23-three-year-old Stephen Benford has confessed to the killing of 22-year-old Gina Schickling.
Her body was found several days after she was last seen at a Philadelphia club on June 30.
Schickling was stabbed nearly 60 times, Assistant District Attorney Jodi Lobel said at a hearing Wednesday.
The victim’s body was discovered in Independence Township, N.J., behind Benford's parents' former home.
Benford was also charged in another nonfatal stabbing outside a bar five months before Schickling's death.
It was not immediately clear if Benford had an attorney.
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