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NJ Man Convicted Of Beating Mom To Death, Prosecutor Says
A 38-year-old Maplewood resident was convicted on Monday, Oct. 21 of murder charges in his mother's death, which he then framed as a suicide, authorities said.
Benjamin Avrut was found guilty of first-degree murder after beating his 70-year-old-mothe Gwen to death, Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said. The jury had rejected Avrut's insanity defense.
On Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, Avrut entered his sleeping mother's apartment at The Top, a luxury condominium in Maplewood, Stephens said. When she awoke, Avrut beat her to death with his fists, Stephens said.
Avrut, who had a hist…
Son Finds Mom, 37, Stabbed Dead In Edison, Prosecutor Says
A 37-year-old man from Edison was charged in the fatal stabbing of a woman he knew, authorities said.
Joan Franklin Polanco, 37, was detained by NYPD hours after the Sunday, July 21 stabbing, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan.
Lizbeth Benitez-Rivera, 37, of Edison, was found with multiple stab wounds by her son, they said.
Benitez-Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene.
At about 4:40 p.m., Edison police received a 911 call reporting a stabbing on Horizon Drive.
The investigation determined that Polanco …
