Their relationship, authorities said, had no obvious history of domestic violence. The tragic end to their love story brought both of their families to tears as they sat in a courtroom in Camden's Hall of Justice on Tuesday morning.
Dressed in orange prison clothes with her wrists cuffed, Pfefferle, a student at La Salle University in Philadelphia, stood before Judge Samuel Natal, at times crying. Her family wept as authorities noted the 2009 Audubon High School graduate possibly faced life in prison.
Nearby, Marek and Emilie E. Hus held a photo of their son, who worked as a carpenter. They sat with their daughter, Helena Hus-Egnatuk, 24, and a cousin, Bob Thomas.
"The quality of the son I had was fantastic," Emilie Hus said, fighting tears after the hearing.
Hus graduated from Audubon High in 2008. He loved skiing, hunting and roller blading. "There weren't enough hours in the day for him," Hus said.
Even if he was out late, Hus said, her son arose at 6 a.m. for work with the Carpenter's Union. "He was a good kid," she said. And he cared deeply for Pfefferle, his only love, his mother said.
His funeral is scheduled for Thursday at Holy Maternity Church of the Emmaus Catholic Community in Audubon.
Pfefferle's family declined to speak to reporters Tuesday. On MySpace, Pfefferle - a cheerleading coach for the Oaklyn Cats - wrote that Hus and "I love being in love."
Little was disclosed in court about the couple's argument Saturday night, possibly about Pfefferle leaving for college, authorities said.
Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Ira Slovin said the couple argued about 2 a.m. in the house where Pfefferle lived with her parents. Pfefferle followed Hus from the living room into the kitchen.
While his back was turned, she told authorities, she picked up a knife and lifted it over her head to scare Hus, Slovin said. Hus turned into the knife, according to her account.
