A Cumberland County man accused of hiding his cousin’s dead body in a closet for eight months while collecting his benefits pleaded not guilty Monday during his arraignment.

Steven Blankenship, 58, of Fairfield Township, allegedly wrapped the body of 72-year-old Michael Blankenship in three layers of plastic before stashing it in a rear bedroom closet in a trailer where both men lived in the summer of 2024, investigators said.

He was indicted in July on charges including desecrating human remains, theft and credit card fraud, after the discovery of Michael Blankenship’s body, NJ Advance Media reported.

Michael Blankenship was a Marine Corps veteran who served during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged in 1970, according to an online obituary. He died following a brief illness l

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