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Nicholas J. Powers was arrested last Thursday after admitting he used a pillow to suffocate Patricia Owen, 64, as she slept, the NJ Herald reports.
Police were notified of Owen's death on May 17, although Powers was only arrested after telling his girlfriend, Kimberly Owen, and several other individuals he committed the crime, the article says.
Powers, a 2014 Hopatcong High School graduate, initially told police Owen and her daughter got in an argument over drug use and money on May 16. When he went back inside the house to get his belongings, he saw Owen sleeping and snoring, the NJ Herald said.
Powers told police he was the one who discovered Owen's body in an upstairs bedroom on her bed, the report said.
Someone told police Powers was the one who killed Owen after he told his girlfriend and several other individuals, according to the report.
He eventually told officers he smothered Owen with a pillow and was subsequently brought to police headquarters for questioning.
According to the affidavit, Powers returned to Owen's home alone to get his belongings around 6 p.m. May 16. He unlocked Owen's bedroom door and saw her sleeping, then put on a pair of gloves, grabbed a pillow and suffocated her, the NJ Herald reports.
A struggle between Owen and Powers ensued, and Owen at one point said "I can't breathe," before Powers used his knee to apply pressure and hold the pillow against her until she stopped moving, according to the affidavit.
Powers said he did not feel a pulse and he killed Owen because he didn't like the way she treated her daughter, his girlfriend, the report says.
He called one person to tell them that he had killed Owen, although that person did not immediately call police, according to the NJ Herald. Further details were unclear.
Powers on May 28 told his girlfriend he killed her mom, police reports say. Kimberly subsequently called Powers' mom and sister to tell them about the crime, the news article says.
Then, Kimberly and her boyfriend went to the home of two witnesses, where Owen told them what Powers did, NJ Herald reports. It was one of those individuals who called police.
Powers was being held in the Sussex County Jail and pending a detention hearing next week.
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