Son Charged In Death Of Mother, A Bayonne High Graduate

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A Maplewood man has been arrested and charged with murder after his mother was found dead in her Maplewood home on Monday, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Benjamin Avrut, 35, of Maplewood, has been "arrested and charged with the murder of his mother," Gwen Avrut, 70, according to a joint announcement from Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Maplewood Police Chief Jimmy DeVaul.

According to the mother's Facebook page, she was a graduate of Bayonne High School and studied at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Prosecutors said that on Monday, at approximately 12: 56 p.m., Gwen was discovered in her condo on South Orange Avenue, "unresponsive suffering from serious injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:39 p.m."

According to past news reports, her son had left and was pursued by police on Monday.

The Prosecutor's Office did not release further details.

In a Facebook post on Dec. 28, Gwen wrote that it was her birthday and that she was asking for donations for the Alzheimer's Association.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, the investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. Calls will be kept confidential.

More information will be posted on Patch when it's obtained.

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