A three-day standoff between police and an armed man has ended with the suspect being killed, and police discovering the bodies of a mother and her 13-year old son inside a Trenton, N.J. home, USA Today reports.
The suspect, Gerald Tyrone Murphy, 38, was the boyfriend of the 44-year-old victim and mother of five, Carmelita Stevens.
Murphy allegedly killed Stevens and her 13-year son weeks ago and then barricaded himself inside the home while holding three other children as hostages. Her 19-year-old son was later found hiding in the basement unharmed, according to USA Today.
Murphy was not the father of any of the children, NJ.com reports.
The hostage situation began Friday afternoon, when Trenton police were called to check on the welfare of Stevens, whose family had not heard from her in some time, Rivera said. In addition, police were told Stevens' two daughters had not been to school in 12 days.
When officers entered the home, they smelled an odor consistent with a decomposing body and found Murphy upstairs in a room with three children and a decomposing body. He told police he was armed with a gun and explosives. Murphy also told officers about another body in a rear bedroom.
Police surrounded the house for 37 hours as negotiators tried to get the man to release the other children, ages 16, 18, and 4.
Early Sunday morning, officers wounded Murphy with a gunshot as he threatened one child. He later died of his injuries, USA Today reports.
"The Trenton hostage situation is resolved, the three children are safe, and the area is secure," state police Sgt. Adam Grossmantold The Associated Press.
Police told USA Today that Murphy had an extensive criminal record, including arrests for weapons offenses, armed robbery, and child endangerment.
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