Brick Woman Extradited To Face Murder Charge In Wife's Death

BRICK, NJ — A Brick Township woman who has been charged with the murder of her wife has been extradited to New Jersey to face the charges against her, authorities said Tuesday.

Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus, 48, of Brick, has been returned to Ocean County from Houston, Texas, where she was apprehended May 20 by FBI officers, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Houston Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Brick Township Police Chief James Riccio announced.

She was charged May 18 with the murder of her wife, Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus, 32, who was found dead May 16 in an upstairs bedroom of their Creek Road home, authorities said. She had been beaten to death with a wine chiller, the prosecutor's office said. Read more: Brick Woman Sought In Killing Of Her Wife: Prosecutor

"The defendant was processed this afternoon at the Brick Township Police Department and is currently lodged in the Ocean County Jail," Billhimer said. She had traveled to Houston from New York City by bus, he said when Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus was arrested.

The warrant for Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus's arrest was issued after an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Brick Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined that she was responsible for the death of Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus.

Investigators found Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus had injuries consistent with a cylinder, and found she had been killed with a cylindrical container used for chilling wine, the prosecutor's office said. Further investigation ultimately determined Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus caused Rebecca Gavilanez-Alectus's death.

In addition to the murder charge, Mayra Gavilanez-Alectus is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the proscutor's office said.

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